Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 0: Preface

"Hey pal, you were in charge of testing game-world 'HL-ROX-16', right?"

"Yes, and we got great results. What of it?"

"Well, maybe they were a little too good. Some are saying that your subject selection might have been biased."

"What? I used ShinShift Corp, just like usual. I had no direct hand in who got picked."

"Well, did you order through the 'Transit' or 'Online' division?"

"C'mon, the waiting time for 'Transit' was really long. Anyway, why would that matter?"

"Well, 'Online' cherry-picks test subjects based on suitability for the intended world."

"Oh, so that's why it ran so well."

"Yep, sounds like it. You should reset and make a new run before the higher-ups find out."

"Yeah, you're right. OK, I'll go order a new rat."

"Don't call them that. Anyway, you won't have time to go through ShinShift — better use a Noctis Gate."

"Ugh, manual selection? What a bother."

"Use the same species so it'll be the same planet. Just pick a spot far from the original's home to avoid the previous bias."

"Fine, fine. I'll carefully select exactly the right rat for a perfectly unbiased test run."

"Um... yep, that sounds right."

Chapter 1: Reality

Day 1

After a comfortable night's sleep, I wake up on a bed of straw. I feel a light breeze and hear birds in the distance. A wooden beam is overhead and sunlight is slanting through gaps in the walls. Sort of looks like a barn.

"A barn? Why the hell would I be in a barn? Where the hell am I?"

No one else is here. Just me in my pajama pants and t-shirt. No head injury, dizziness or hangover, so I sit up and look around. Everything seems quite normal, other than the barn, of course.

Let's see, a horse, piles of hay, farm junk lying around. Shabby enough to look real but still, something's off. Ah, that's it, the smell. It smells... fine. Fresh hay but otherwise, just clean air. No horse crap, mold, or even dust. So, not at all like a real barn.

"Yep, not at all suspicious."

This situation is turning from weird to creepy. Better figure out what's going on, like, right now! Possibilities: Dream? Nope, too detailed. I don't have the imagination for all this. Same with hallucinations, coma-induced or otherwise. Too real and, frankly, too peaceful. Computer simulation? With this level of detail and tactile feedback? Nah. Even if it were possible, who'd go through the trouble?

Alright, I can assume that this place is real, at least in the physical sense. But almost certainly staged... and oddly familiar. It's like something I've seen before maybe only indirectly. Could this be an elaborate prank? Maybe. A TV show? OK, finally something plausible. A network would have the budget and they're crazy enough to actually do it.

Interrupting my inner monologue, the horse whinnied. "What was that?" Turning towards the sound, a little HUD appeared over the horse's head:

[Horse]

"What the...! Nope, no. No way. That did NOT just happen!"

I spring to my feet and quickly grab my head. No VR helmet. No AR glasses. Seriously, this can't be real.

"OK, this is not the time to panic." An obvious lie but still true. Act now — panic later.

"What the hell is happening? Insanity? Did I die and re-spawn?" OK, that's ridiculous and not even relevant. Instead, "What do I actually know and what should I do first?"

Well, the TV-show theory is out, along with pretty much anything even remotely rational. Time to entertain the really bad ideas. Painful to admit, but this feels like the start of an isekai manga. (I could just die of embarrassment — assuming I'm not already dead.) But not just any manga, it's one I know. This barn, this situation is just too familiar. I've definitely read this. Seen it. Actually, this looks a lot like, um, Horny teen raids labyrinths by day and sleeps with adoring slaves by night, or something like that. I forget the real title.

"Wait, was that story pulled out of my head to make me feel comfortable?" Nope and wouldn't matter. Just focus. For now, I'll accept that being trapped in a game is the most likely of the absolutely impossible possibilities. What's important now is to get a good start. I need to find tools, weapons, gear — anything useful.

Scanning the barn for loot, I see something buried in the hay:

[Holy Sword Durandal]

"Oh, hell yes! The legendary Durandal. Gotta be OP." It's certainly heavier than a fake but feels OK to swing. This should be perfectly usable as long as I keep a tight grip. But, finding exactly this sword basically confirms my guess. It's not like I've memorized the details or that this world has to be the same, but this could bring extra advantages.

Let's see, I should be able to ID myself:

[David Moreau]
[Male, Age: 19]
[Villager: 1]

Yep, that's me and it's thankfully more detailed than the horse's ID. Anyway, what else can I find around here?

[Ring of Determination]

Don't really remember that one but I'll grab it too. Otherwise, it's just bugs and junk. Then, on the other side,

[Sandals]

"Nope. Not taking someone's stinky, old shoes. Don't care if this is real or not, I've learned my lesson. Still got Robert's foot stench from when I borrowed his sneakers.[1] Besides... I know that those sandals are a trap.

OK, that's it for the useful stuff in here. Now, unless I'm completely delusional (still a real possibility), as I step outside (barefoot), I'll see... Yep, a small, peaceful village. Fields of what look like cabbages. Nothing suspicious here — just a farming sim, right?

Thankfully, no one seems to notice the weird guy walking out of their barn, carrying a big-ass, fancy sword. Because, right on cue, here they come from out in the distance, bad guys. Hmm, did walking out of the barn trigger this event? Well, whatever, the action will start soon. Total cliché moment but at least the story arc is consistent so far.

No time to organize a proper defense but the villagers scramble to prepare a little barricade. Well, into the fray I go...

Wait! What the hell am I doing? This is obviously fake — no one needs my help. It's just a bunch of NPCs fighting another bunch of NPCs. I should just hide in here till they thin out and either cut down the stragglers or run like hell.

And, if this is real, a total noob like me, who's never even held a real sword before, should not jump head-long into a horde of murderous villains.

But, if it's really real, most of the villagers will get slaughtered and the survivors will... fare worse. All this will happen while I keep myself safe, huddled in this barn, like a coward. And afterwards, do I just say "Sorry, don't mind me" and expect that they'll let me go?

I'm such a sucker to fall for this obvious setup, but real or not, I can't just do nothing. OK, time to psych myself up. It's just a game and I'm good at games. This is just a really immersive game. An OP sword makes up for lack of practical experience. Ugh, gotta purge this otaku-crap from my memory afterwards, assuming I survive the day.

Sword at the ready once more, I see that the attackers have reached the makeshift defense perimeter. Despite my new bravado, I have to admit that I can't take them all at once. I'll cut off the head of the snake, so to speak, and the others will hopefully scatter. Ah, there he is, Hugo, the Bandit Boss, wearing his gang-style headscarf. Confident that mere villagers are no threat, he's leaving himself completely vulnerable. Well, at least vulnerable to attack by an uninvited lunatic wielding an OP sword. Like this, he's practically inviting me to take the shot.

I walk out there, trying not to attract too much attention. (Just out for a casual stroll.) Still dressed in pajamas, I slip unchallenged through the chaos. And then I swing! The sword literally rips through the boss' neck. So much for needing talent, not that much is needed to hit a stationary target from behind. As expected, a fountain of blood erupts. With this volume, it looks fake, not that I'd actually know.

What I just did, and what I imagine they planned to do, fills me with considerably more aggression than I've ever felt before. These murderous scum must die for their presumed crimes.

Now that my stealth is effectively deactivated, the other thugs start heading towards me. They seem surprised but mainly pissed off. Good. It's too soon for me to deal with a calm, coordinated attack. A quick stab and I take down the closest bad guy. I duck, swing, nearly drop my sword but get another. I need to maintain focus and not go too wild since no one's got my back.

Seems like my video game experience actually does count for something, especially FPS. The next highest ranked Bandit comes at me, but I shove a small fry at him and stab through both. (Why are these guys so short?) Fortunately, the rest are low-leveled, weak and unskilled, according to the now veteran swordsman I am.

A few seem to have finally caught on and are starting to flee. Another stab followed by a slash and down goes another. (Fall to my cheat-level sword and non-zero talent!) This is just like a manga — totally unrealistic and overwhelmingly in my favor.

Now, only slain enemies lie around me. Still buzzing from the feeding frenzy, I chase after the cowards who dare try to deprive me of EXP. With the last guy too far away to chase, I collapse to my knees, exhausted. OK, maybe I started to get a bit reckless but I didn't get a scratch on me, at least, nothing visible through the layers of blood. Damn, I think one of those bastards tore my PJs.

Sitting on the ground, breathing hard, hands trembling from the repeated impacts, I feel that the adrenaline is starting to wear off. The villagers quickly came out to loot the bodies. Watching them go at it so easily, this probably isn't their first time. Actually, the villagers seem more disturbed by my presence than the dead bodies. Most nervously look away, but one old fart approaches. Let's see, his name is Somal with a job of Village Chief.

Smiling diplomatically, the old guy says, « ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■ ».

In other words, something completely unintelligible and in a completely unfamiliar language. That's OK because it's probably just the local, commoner language. In the manga, the chief also knows the upper-class language, which to the MC sounds exactly like... Oh Crap! I am so screwed! I only watch dubbed.

Well, at least I can introduce myself, "Um, « Konichiwaa, Dabbido dess! »"

Nothing but an odd stare from the chief. Even if my accent isn't perfect, he should still understand me. So, maybe they don't use Japanese here — that's a relief. But wait, what if it isn't English either?

Hesitantly, the chief asks, "Excuse me, but do you speak « ■r■■m »?"

"Bremen? Or, Ramen? Nah, doesn't even make sense. Maybe it's Brahman. Hmm, that's actually possible."

"Are... are you feeling alright? Were you injured?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Yes, I do speak... this language. I was just surprised to hear it again."

(The rest was obviously English, dumb ass. Let's pretend that didn't happen.)

"Ah, wonderful. I am Somal, the chief of this village. May I get your name?"

"David Moreau."

"Oh, please pardon my rudeness, Lord Moreau. I didn't realize..."

Oops, forgot that having a last name is a class thing. "No, just 'David' is fine."

"You're too kind. Thank you, Sir David."

Meh, whatever. It was my mistake anyway. Hmm, should I claim to be a foreign noble? Nah, probably get the death penalty for that sort of thing.

"I was just passing by when I noticed the attack. I hope you didn't suffer too many losses." (May as well sound a bit upper class.)

"Far fewer thanks to your arrival. You have our sincere thanks, Sir David. With such great skill, you must be an experienced Adventurer, or perhaps, a wandering Knight?"

"No, but I've fought some battles," I lied. Don't want to admit that it's all thanks to my OP sword. Not willing to give away all the credit, I added, "Good that I got here when I did. Seems you were in some serious danger." Maybe a bit bold to say this, but it's true. I really did save their asses.

With a little hesitation, the chief responded with, "Yes, you are indeed correct. We are in your debt, Sir David."

Why is he starting to sound even more formal? Bothersome, but I'll let it slide. Oh, maybe I'm still a bit wound-up from the fight.

[1] Apologies to the real Robert who kindly gave his old shoes to the author.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Village

I'm hit with the unpleasant sensation of having blood and sweat drip down my face.

"I need to clean up."

"Ah yes, of course. Right this way, Sir."

I was led to a small room inside one of the biggest of the small houses. I just need a moment to relax and finish catching my breath after my first fight to the death. That battle was brief but intense — not that I have anything real to compare it against. Can't really complain since it was even worse for the dead guys. Damn, I'm still a bit revved up. After a few minutes, the chief and some old lady brought a bucket of hot water, a rag, and a set of peasant clothes.

"Sorry but this is all we have available."

Well, an ice bath would be nice but hot water will do. I thanked them and accepted the offer to take care of my bloody clothes — don't want to walk around looking like a horror-movie extra.

Now that I'm alone, it's time to check my status. I still have the starting Villager job, of course, but now I also have the special Hero job. See, I really am a hero because I really did save your butts. (Sure hope I haven't been saying crap like this out loud.) Well, I guess my attitude is to be expected of a (fake) nobleman.

Pretty sure I'm supposed to have the Thief job as well. I guess that means that the sword and ring really are mine and stealing the grungy sandals was the trap to begin a life of crime. Maybe I'll miss some quests, but seems like I could just swipe a pack of gum (so to speak) later if need be. Heck, the sandals may remain here untouched, just waiting for me.

I also have a bunch of bonus spells and skills. My ability to hold multiple jobs is great, but being able to reconfigure everything is fantastic, especially while I only have a limited number of bonus points to work with. Currently, I have warp (like fast-travel in a game), appraisal (ID people, monsters and gear), trade discount (auto-haggle), experience boost, and too many others to bother with right now. Some of these have levels with increasing point costs. Even my OP sword, Durandal, comes from bonus points as a max-level weapon. Overall, it's not quite the god-like cheats some protags get, but at least I have something like a Premium Starter Kit.

The peasant clothes are thankfully blood-free but really small. Ah, this is probably what the chief's apology was about. The pants are ridiculously short. This coarse cloth might be linen or even hemp. At least it feels sturdy.

After a while, I hear the expected knock. Good, it's time to split the loot.

"Yes, please lead the way."

A bunch of swords and other items were spread out. "Over here are the swords from the brigands we managed to slay."

The word 'brigand' sounds so formal, but maybe it's for my sake.

"Yes, good. We should each take from who we killed. So, the rest are for me, right?"

"Yes, yes, exactly. Thank you."

The next bit I remember directly from the story. I'm supposed to notice that something's been swapped. Um, yep, they seem to be following the script perfectly.

While pretending to inspect the items carefully, I remark, "Oh, that's strange."

"What is, Sir David?"

Holding up a worthless bandana, "Well, this is just a plain bandana and I can't seem to locate the real one."

"What? Are you certain?"

"Yes, the leader had special equipment."

"Oh?"

"It's OK. I'm sure it'll turn up somewhere."

"Please excuse me, Sir David. I'll look into this," the chief spoke to his subordinates in hushed tones and sent them away.

"Meanwhile, please join me for breakfast."

On the way, he handed over a stack of glowing cards. "Status cards? Good, thanks." Right, these must be from the Bandits.

A rustic bowl of warm porridge and a wooden spoon. Simple but really good. Hadn't realized how hungry I was. The chief started telling me something about crop yields, but he soon took off to do his chief-stuff, I guess. The old lady, probably his wife, smiled and tried to shove more food on me.

I went back to the loot and got some twine to tie the swords together. Soon, the chief returned with a couple villagers unceremoniously dragging an unhappy guy in shackles. Somewhat proudly, the chief announced, "This is the man who tried to steal your property."

"Ah, you found it. Yes, this is the right one. I recognize it from when I, well, relieved the owner of his head."

"I can't believe that one of my people would do this."

"Well, I guess something this valuable was just too tempting... but, um, how did he know what this was?"

The chief winced at this rather obvious question. After a bit of translation, the prisoner's attitude went from being accused of stealing a cookie to kidnapping the baker.

In a friendlier tone, I continued, "Sorry for asking such a silly question. This man couldn't possibly have known what this was without an appraisal skill, right? Otherwise, he'd have to... no, never mind. He simply couldn't have known, simple as that."

The chief seemed to relax a bit after being given a way out, but then I channeled my best Columbo imitation to ask, "But, then again... why risk getting caught taking something so apparently worthless as a dead man's filthy headgear?"

The chief fell silent and his face went pale. This was probably far beyond what he was prepared to deal with. He just seemed to freeze.

In an upbeat tone, "But hey, what do I know? It's probably something innocent like, um... maybe they knew each other? Yes, that would explain it. Makes perfect sense. See, mystery solved."

Looks like the chief's recently emptied mind latched onto this new explanation with both claws. I had to look away from the fury that started to percolate to the surface. The chief just manage to keep his voice low and the prisoner simply sunk to his knees. Looks like this trial is over.

The ruthless manipulation I just performed is not to be used lightly. I'd never even consider this normally, but honestly, the bandana-thief of the manga really pissed me off. Back when I read this story, I remember wondering: How would a villager without an appraisal skill know the headscarf's value? He simply had to be connected to the raiders. People died. His friends and neighbors died. This dude should fry!

OK, maybe this is why my friends say I need to chill out. Fact remains, the guy really is guilty... as far as I know. Well, at least he didn't deny it... as far as I know. I couldn't understand their conversation. Technically, the chief could be using him as a scapegoat. That could explain why the chief tried so hard to avoid the obvious questions. Nah, probably not. Anyway, good to get rid of this (presumed) thief and (suspected) collaborator. On a completely unrelated note, I wonder if a longer slavery contract will bump up the sale price?

With nothing better to do, I spoke to the village merchant, who also speaks Brie... heck, I'll just call it 'English'. Anyway, I arranged to hitch a ride to town early the next morning. He called it "Va-le" but I'm starting to get used to these accent differences. Whatever it's called, it's probably the next place I need to be.

Still morning and not having much to do, I started walking past the edge of the village, heading towards the forest. Some random villager called out to me in Valic (my own name for the local language, we're near Vale after all). Apparently he's trying to warn me about something. Seems like I should listen, but I just draw my sword and try to motion, "I'll be fine". He seemed convinced enough not to run after me or fetch help so I guess it wasn't too important. Either that or he thinks I just threatened to kill him if he interferes.

I'll keep my guard up but seriously doubt I'll find a dragon or family of trolls at the tree line. Still, I'd hate to have my ass handed to me by a few rabid squirrels. I wonder if there are any monsters out here or if it's just normal animals. If I don't go too deep, I should at least get a bit of sword practice.

I soon encountered some cute little rabbits, which turned out to be aggressive little monsters. The difference, besides threat level, is that they went poof and left little rewards (scraps of fur) when defeated, instead of, you know, dead rabbits. I used these nasty, not-at-all-cute rabbits to practice finer control than the clumsy, brute-force technique I had used against the thugs.

It was going well, for me at least, till one went all Vorpal Bunny on me and tried to rip out my throat. Seemed best to make a strategic retreat and go back to the safety of the village. This might have been what that villager tried to warn me about... or maybe something even worse. Maybe I should stop acting so cocky after just one successful fight.

I eventually ran into the village chief, who seems to have calmed down a bit. I'm a bit curious about what happened to the thief, but best not to ask. Seems that the chief was actually looking for me — better not tell him about my trek to the forest.

"Very sorry, but my wife says that your trousers were torn and, unfortunately, we don't have the tools to repair such fine cloth. Should she use normal thread or would you prefer to have them repaired at a tailor's shop in town?"

"Yeah, I saw that rip. Just leave them and I'll try to get them fixed later, thanks."

Didn't have the heart to admit I'd probably just toss them.

"As you wish, Sir David. Also, we would appreciate if you could accept this small reward for saving our village. I wish it could be more, but we at least want to give you this much."

I got a little sack with about 13 gold coins. Don't remember what each is worth but probably a lot. May seem petty to accept money from a humble village, but I really do need some start-up funds. Actually, this is nothing compared to what I'm about to propose.

"Thank you very much, Chief. This will really help me get settled. But, I really do feel bad that you lost so many people. You lost good men and women were widowed. So, if it would help, I'd be willing to help restore that balance by bringing someone along with me."

I sound sexist as hell, which ought to work here.

"Um, what? Excuse me, but I don't really..."

"Oh no, I'm not suggesting anything so vulgar as buying someone. I'm just offering to help shoulder your burden by asking if one of your people would be willing to help me for a while. How about this: If someone you could spare could stay with me for a year or so, I will make sure she learns um, this language."

I'm assuming he wouldn't want one of the remaining men to leave.

"Still, what woman would just follow a stranger and..."

"Oh, I assure you, she'll just assist me in the labyrinths. Not, you know, that. She'll be well-paid and..."

"Paid? Having too many widows is difficult for a village our size."

"Excellent but make sure it's someone who would really like to come with me."

"Shouldn't be a problem. Everyone saw how capable you are, Sir David."

"Short notice but I hope to head out first-thing tomorrow morning. I've already arranged a ride with your merchant."

Almost too enthusiastically, "Oh, so soon? I'll bring her here right now. Please wait for a moment."

"Ah, thanks. That'd be great."

Suspiciously fast, like he'd already arranged this, the chief returned with a woman, Tuuli. She's a few years older than me, has a medium build and an average appearance. She looks strong enough to be helpful — just what I'm looking for. We sat down for a quick conversation with the chief translating. As expected, she's a widow, but thankfully, not from today's event.

Tuuli currently has the job of Farmer, but has evidently hunted small animals with a crude spear. Importantly, she'll accept going to the labyrinths. Actually, she might be anxious to get out of here since her prospects might not be great. Sure hope that hasn't made her oversell herself.

With a handshake and a smile, she hurried off to get ready for an early-morning departure.

"Thanks. I think she'll work out well. Good pick."

"Yes, she'll be contracted to you for three years. A good deal for both sides." OK, maybe they even held a pre-screening and interview without me. "Sir David, please join us for dinner after sunset, if you could."

"Thanks, I'll see you then, Chief."

I then went back to the merchant to ask where I should hunt and he directed me to the area I'd already picked at random. Apparently, that actually was the safest spot around here. Now with a bit more respect for my opponents, I put myself in unnecessary danger once again.

I tried to imagine myself playing an infiltration game where one wrong move could bring them all down on me — because that's exactly what could happen. I ended up collecting quite a few little furs and made my way back to the village before sunset.

Had a nice, simple dinner with the chief and his wife. Still quite early in the evening, but I was more than ready to hit the hay.

"Thanks for dinner. It was great. Need to get up early so I'll head out now. The little barn past the main cabbage field looks comfortable. Hope that's okay." Can't really tell him that I don't want to go back to that little room. Even if they brought out a bed, it'd probably be too short and uncomfortable.

"Oh, sorry if I didn't offer earlier, but you're perfectly welcome to stay here at my house."

"Thanks but I've gotten used to sleeping outdoors. Besides, it'll be easier to hear if any of the raiders return in the night."

"Oh! Do you really think that..."

"No, no, well, highly unlikely, but, just in case." Damn, better knock on wood.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Morning After

Day 2

I woke up on a bed of straw. Uh oh, quick (alternate) reality check:

[Ant]

Yep, I'm still here. Oh, and I have the Hero job, so it's not just a repeat of yesterday. When living with absurdity, it's best to avoid assumptions.

Pretty sore from the fight, but probably more from swinging than getting hit. Just feels like I overdid it at practice. Not bad, considering the circumstances since I probably wouldn't have survived one direct stab, OP sword or not. I not only survived but got a safe place to sleep, a promise of a ride to town, and, best of all, cost-free, un-enslaved help. The chief obviously wouldn't have let me take a man or young woman but he jumped at the chance of releasing a widow, just as expected. This could really be a good opportunity for Tuuli too. And if she turns out to be useless, she could just be brought back home — no harm done. Have to admit that things are going pretty well so far.

Hmm, what I just said sounds a bit off. Suspicious even. I genuinely don't seem to care why or how I came to this world. How could I possibly be so passive? This lack of existential dread is definitely a bad sign. Have I been brain-washed? Would a brain-washed person worry about being brain-washed? Maybe if it's incomplete. Meh, whatever. I really shouldn't worry about not feeling bad and especially not about why I don't... um, or something like that.

It's time to get up. Should be dawn soon. The air is earthy and clean. (Does that horse even know how to shit?) Stepping outside, I feel a cool breeze. Nice out here too so I guess even the blood is gone. I'll head over to the chief's house and invite myself to breakfast. Damn, I need to get some shoes.

They're awake, of course, this is a farm village after all. We exchanged basic greetings and I sat at the table, as if it's simply routine. Porridge again. It's hot and really good. I'll help myself to a few bread rolls for the road. They even got me a small water skin — hadn't even thought of that. Guess I get to keep the poor-fitting peasant clothes too. My ripped PJs might be considered indecent and the logo on my t-shirt might match some notorious clan.

The merchant's cart was already loaded with loot from the Bandits, the prisoner, and what I presume to be goods for trade. The prisoner was all scrunched up in a tiny cage. A bit cruel, but not like I wanted that guy to sit next to me. I guess what happened yesterday ended up ruining his life, but certainly not my fault. Well, maybe I'm partly to blame. Anyway, the guy deserves his fate, assuming that he's actually guilty.

Ah, here she comes, suitcase in hand. "Hello Tully."

Pointing to herself, she says, "Tuuli".

Oh, "Tuli?"

"Tuuli!"

Oops, maybe I said something bad. Anyway, pointing to myself, I say "David."

Nodding to show that she obviously remembers my name, she repeats, "Taavi".

"David."

Shrugging, she settles on, "Tavi."

Meh, close enough, so I nodded in approval.

Tuuli sat on the far end so I climbed up to sit on the other side of the merchant. It's not like she and I have anything to talk about anyway. As we rode away from the village, the merchant remained quiet and a bit distant. Can't tell if he was trying to avoid me specifically or if he's just more accustomed to being alone. Fine either way since this gave me time to reflect.

OK, I'm not here by accident. Someone brought me to this world and they presumably did it for a reason. I haven't been given a duty to save the world so my current best guess is that I'm here as a test subject or simple amusement. Until I hear otherwise, I'll assume that I'm free to act. So, I could try to:

1. Ruin the experiment or game.
2. Carefully follow the script.
3. Just do what feels right.

Chaos is fine in a game where you can logoff but it wouldn't make for a great lifestyle. Maybe I should be angry but seeking revenge against a mysterious foe who's powerful enough to bring me here would be pointless.

Following the script should allow me to predict future events to my advantage. Well, I've already strayed a bit and I don't want to simply walk in someone else's shoes just because it might be easier.

So, doing whatever the heck I want seems like the way to go. Yeah, I already knew that but it feels good to eliminate the extremes under these insane circumstances. But, what do I actually want? Plans from my old world can be scrapped, so now that I have a few minutes, I should decide what to do with my life.

Primary goals: survival and security. OK, that's obvious and I'll need to start gaining money and strength. I'm not going to try to scam my way into nobility — too tiresome. Crime is repugnant and seems really dangerous, considering the kill-on-sight label if I mess up. Could try to invent (plagiarize) something useful but without starting capital or contacts, my chances aren't great. Normal work? Nah, too boring and I'd hate to start lower than my old world. Besides, who'd hire a complete stranger with no past? Well, not for anything I'd like to do. So, risking my life in the labyrinths is the safe choice, huh? That's good enough for now. Could revise this after I've been in this world a few days longer.

Overall, the ride to town was physically uncomfortable but rather peaceful, with only a few stops needed to get rid of minor monsters along the trail. Tuuli seemed to be studying my movements with an intense gaze, which I tried to ignore. The merchant, on the other hand, became friendly and talkative. So, I ended up having less time to think to myself. Probably should have taken the opportunity to learn something useful but it was easier to just let him ramble on about, something or other. I made sure to smile and nod at appropriate intervals and just switched off my brain for a bit.

We soon reached Vale. The town was basically like I imagined (read) but it's quite something to actually experience a town of another world in person. I found myself unable to resist gawking at everything like a country bumpkin — so, completely in-character. The town was full of various sorts of humanoids, professions (jobs), and ages ranged from children to the elderly. They were all just going about their business. Nothing like a place for NPCs to wait for player-characters to show up. The only odd thing was how clean the streets were. Well, better than it being grim-dark.

"David, perhaps you'd like to get some new clothes?"

"Ah, yes. Thanks, if you wouldn't mind. I'll be quick."

That was a good call. I'd almost forgotten that these several-sizes-too-small peasant clothes won't make for a good introduction. The clothing shop didn't have much my size (which I'd always considered moderate) but a suit that some rich guy never picked up was pretty close. The clerk picked out a modest pair of shoes to match and I was all set. I got a big discount but it was still pretty expensive.

My new clothes help me look respectable but not quite fancy enough to be carrying a flashy sword like Durandal. Thieves will try to steal it, guards may suspect that I had stolen it, and nobles could demand that I hand it over. Rather than the bother of frequently shifting bonus points to make it pop in and out of reality, all I really needed to do was cover it up. I decided to take care of this at our next stop, which was to sell the Bandit's swords at the weapon shop.

"Can you make a scabbard for this sword?"

"Oh, that's a very interesting weapon. O soul..."

"Actually, I do not need it to be appraised. Just take the measurements."

"Of course, I was just... um, yes. I have the finest materials on hand but it will take some time to create a scabbard worthy of such a spectacular weapon."

"That too will be unnecessary. In fact, I want a very plain, leather scabbard with no special markings. It should be strong and dependable but look no better than average on the outside."

"Ah, I get it. You know, no one's ever asked me to do something like this before."

"And I trust that you won't tell anyone who you made this one for."

"Of course. A loss of trust is a loss of business. Could finish it tonight if you leave the sword."

"Ha ha. Then I'll check back in a couple days."

No need to ask the price since even at ten times the cost of a standard scabbard, it'll still be cheap. Getting a custom scabbard did mean that I had to reveal my OP sword to a sword expert but Durandal's unusual shape would make it hard to use something off the rack.

Not wanting to take any more of the village merchant's time, I hurried out as soon as the measurements were taken. It was better to leave the finer details to the expert, especially since I'd probably end up revealing my general ignorance.

The overly patient and polite village merchant then took us to the knight's HQ to turn in the Bandits' status cards. When we had to prove that we weren't criminals by showing our own cards, I made sure that the merchant couldn't see mine. It'd be hard to explain how a mere Villager did what I did.

More importantly, I didn't want to show Durandal in front of the Knight. Since the Knight would see my job, having a holy sword at my waist would be even harder to explain. Before leaving the weapon shop, I had rearranged my bonus points to remove Durandal so the merchant should simply assume I'd left it there for maintenance. This will also allow me to max out my trade cheat.

The merchant took the village's share and I got over 180k. The Knight's casual bag toss felt like he was just tipping me for some trivial errand. Hmm, this place must have a lot of cash on hand... Well, I'll stay on this side of the law for now. Let's go sell our slave!

After a brief discussion at the slave shop's entrance, our prisoner was taken away. Inside, we met Alan, the owner and the first person around my height I've seen here. In fact, Alan looks a lot like my late father. Other than us, most people seem to be... oh, yeah, that makes sense. Well, no one else seems to notice so maybe I'm just over-generalizing from the few people I've seen so far.

The merchant handed over a letter from the chief. After a possibly customary "my oh my", the slaver started to ask the merchant for various details, thankfully in the language I understand. Most were about me and my heroic exploits. I couldn't have paid for a better introduction. I tried to act casual enough to suggest that this was well within my abilities but not so flippant as to look like a jerk who'd actually pay for such a story. My nice clothes and overall bearing probably helped to sell it.

Likely unable to understand much, Tuuli simply sat quietly, if perhaps a bit uncomfortably. Wouldn't be at all surprised if women generally felt uncomfortable in places like this. After a while, the servant brought out two small sacks of coins. The patsy, um, bad villager, netted us a nice 50k. Of course, I used my trade cheat to bump up my share, shameful but useful. The other half is meant for the bandana-thief's family. At least my interference will mean more for them as well.

The village merchant said something like "goodbye" to Tuuli and I thanked the merchant for all his help. Just as I was getting up to leave as well, Tuuli unexpectedly walked over to the slaver. Before really understanding what was going on, Alan asked me to join them and started some weird chant.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Getting Started

"Mr. Moreau, please check your card to confirm that Tuuli has successfully become your slave."

"Um, what was that now? She's who's what?"

Did Tuuli just sell herself to me? Should I really accept this? Why is he staring at me? Crap, I'll just go with it till my brain catches up.

"Sorry. I was just surprised that this would be so easy. I expected some sort of big ceremony with oaths or something." Hope that was good enough but he probably doesn't really care anyway.

"Ha ha, quite routine I assure you. That'll be 2000 Nars, Sir."

"Ah, yes, I understand," I lied.

"The contracted agreement is for three years, starting today. Mr. Moreau will be required to bring Tuuli back here to break the contract or show proof of her release. As this is only a temporary contract, Tuuli will not automatically follow you should you meet your untimely demise. Please sign here, Mr. Moreau."

Still not quite understanding how this happened, I signed the page of gobbledygook with something illegible enough to conceal that I don't even know how to write my own name. At least, the regularity of the characters suggests an actual alphabet, so I should be able to learn it with a little effort. Otherwise, illiteracy ain't so bad. Of course, I'm assuming that the contract didn't actually place me into slavery.

Back to reality, did Tuuli actually volunteer to become my slave? I'd ask her if I could but she actually appears calmer now. Seriously, who does that sort of thing? I thought the handshake back in the village was the actual agreement but this is way more formal. I got a slave and everyone knew this would happen except me, the actual owner. Can't help going back to the whole brain-washing theory but it doesn't quite fit if slavery is the social norm.

Perhaps seeing my state of confusion as an opportunity, Alan started talking about showing off his inventory. It was a good move since I'd just signed a blood-pact without reading anything. Just managing to mumble something about not having time, I took Tuuli's hand to make our escape. Not completely ready to let go, Alan excitedly told me about the new labyrinth that opened up nearby.

"Yes, that's why I'm here." Not a complete lie and it seemed better to sound arrogant than to feign ignorance. I had a strong feeling that the slaver would be particularly good at spotting lies... and I'm not exactly at my best at the moment.

"Of course, as expected of an experienced fighter such as yourself." Due to my accomplishments and maybe our vague family resemblance, Alan seems to see me as way more experienced than I really am, but, no need to correct him. At least I won't have to pretend that I don't know anything, even if it's just from reading.

Satisfied that his potential customer plans to stay in the area, he suggested a reasonable inn for us. I mumbled something about coming back soon, but I was a bit worried that I'd end up leaving with more slaves if I stayed any longer. After all, the main slave of the story, the slave the protagonist is supposed to buy, is probably here right now.

I took Tuuli out to find the recommended inn. We got a clean and simple room with twin beds — I don't want to splurge on separate rooms just to look like a gentleman. Hard to imagine that a volunteer slave would complain.

Exhausted from recent events, I plopped down on the stiff but clean bed. Tuuli put down her bag of possessions from the village but now seemed to be avoiding my gaze. Deciding that it'd be too hard to explain that I wasn't about to jump a slave girl, I turned away. Just got to this world and I already have someone to support — who's dumb idea was that?

Didn't take long for Tuuli to switch from shy and vulnerable to grumbling with impatience. I need to prioritize her language education. Could pay for a tutor, but that could lead to a big loss if Tuuli can't handle the labyrinths. Now, if I could buy a tutor, one who could also be useful in the labyrinth and could even relay orders....

Dammit! Right after getting one slave, even if by accident, I'm getting ready for the next. I'm not just sliding down the slippery slope, I'm paddling down it as hard as I can. OK, yes, slavery is bad and I'd never even consider it in my old world. (Hope that's good enough for anyone listening to my thoughts.) But, I very much value my life over morals. Having Tuuli means I wouldn't be completely alone, but not being able to speak to each other is inefficient.

According to my credible source, this world should have a nice sort of slavery. Convenient rationalization? Well, slavery was presented almost like arranged marriage, except that one party is forced, can't seek divorce and is contractually required to serve.

OK, that doesn't exactly sound nice. Well, at the very least, the slave shop didn't reek of torture or filth. It looked more like a high-end escort service, or so I'd imagine. Maybe that's a better analogy, though even creepier when you consider that that's basically what it is, except the girls are purchased, not just rented and the extra services are assumed.

Damn, that's dark, dude. But even if I do have slaves, I'm obviously not required to sink into depravity. It's perfectly natural for me to treat them like regular employees. I could make it temporary, like when Tuuli's contract ends. I really shouldn't worry because there's no way I could even consider this world's values to match my own... not that mine are exactly perfect. OK, I'll get money to get slaves to get more money for more slaves until I'm reasonably safe. I may have missed a step in my reasoning, but that's close enough for now.

Before fully committing to the slave-owner route, I should confirm that we'll actually be able to handle the labyrinths. Motioning to the notably impatient Tuuli, we leave the inn. I bought some basic equipment, light armor, and backpacks for the two of us. Picked out normal spear for Tuuli, which she seemed to like. Nice to see that Tuuli's comfortably following along with all this. Would really suck if they hadn't told her what was expected. I ask for directions and we make our way to the local labyrinth.

It's a short walk before reaching what appears to be a black rip in space. A few people are walking towards it, like it's the most natural thing in the world. They pass through and literally disappear into nothingness, inexplicably causing absolutely no one to scream in terror.

Getting closer, this thing really gives me the creeps. Is it a portal to another dimension or suicide booth? The guy standing at the entrance is probably used to dweebs like me freaking out like this because I'm no more interesting than the doorway of death less than a meter away.

Oops, Tuuli's really staring oddly at me now. Right, I'm supposed to be showing the confidence of a leader so I take a deep breath and step through the shimmering black sheet of nothingness.

The space I enter is, simply, fine. The faintly glowing walls and regular patterns look so fake that it's actually comforting. This place could actually be a simulation. How pleasant and safe, like a comfy blanket. Now I really am in a game, possibly wearing a futuristic headset like they have in movies.

Tuuli doesn't look scared, fascinated or even particularly interested. They said that she's never been in a labyrinth before so maybe natives see something different or simply wouldn't recognize a video game.

Walking along the (simulated?) hallway, I see a, uh, well, guess I'd have to say it's a somewhat anthropomorphic, walking tree monster. The HUD calls it a [Needlewood], but it looks more like a baby Ent (LotR-type). Anyway, it's even more fake-looking than the walls. Don't need to consult a manual to see this as my target. I motion for Tuuli to stay back and in one simple swing of my OP sword, whoosh, it's gone. Unlike fighting raiders, this is perfectly clean with a cute fog in place of arterial blood sprays. Fake is best! The entire world should be like this... except that I'd probably become a serial-killer.

With this, the last of my labyrinth-related anxieties have melted away, even if they really shouldn't. The monsters in this place might just be the magical-equivalents of holodeck constructs, but the physical risks are very real (i.e., no safety protocols in place). But, at this level, this noob doesn't feel much danger. The fear of getting trampled by a monster is easier to manage than passing through a magic door.

With all these cheats and easy combat, this world would actually make a boring game. But, when the villains and monsters are actually looking to harm me, I'm happy with leaving it on easy-mode. But yeah, I realize that it's all thanks to this sword — I'd be screwed without it. Well, I ain't brave or stupid enough to get rid of it.

As expected, the special effects resulted in a monster drop. In this case, a worthless-looking twig. I tossed it into my backpack and looked for another enemy. Seems like this place isn't too dangerous so it's Tuuli's turn next, with me backing her up. Although it takes a while for her to bring one down, she doesn't freak out or even seem to think much of it. How jaded she is, but that's great for me.

We chop down a few more tree-mobs with Tuuli mainly just poking them for distraction. Our coordination isn't great but good enough for this floor. More importantly, looks like Tuuli isn't scared and can be helpful.

Since coming to the labyrinth, the Explorer job got unlocked for me. I moved it to my list of active jobs (now three in total) to unlock party-related skills. I added Tuuli to my newly-formed party and navigated through a few menus to activate the cheats needed to peep at Tuuli's list of available jobs — I can't really ask her permission anyway.

Tuuli has Explorer and Villager like me, but also has Warrior and her current job, Farmer. Seems I don't qualify for those. Anyway, I set Tuuli's job to Warrior. I also activate my EXP cheats. I think one of them only applies to me and the other helps both of us.

That reminds me, I should buy some magic crystals from the guild. According to rumor, these capture the energy released from defeating monsters — like charging a battery — and are worth about 1 Nar per blip. Predictably, I have a cheat to greatly increase the charge rate. This seems to work by absorbing the monster energy more efficiently, not just make the crystals report the wrong amount.

Test completed, we left the labyrinth and did a little shopping for personal items. Fortunately, Tuuli can communicate with most shopkeepers without trouble. This is good since I don't know names for stuff like this world's soap replacement or twig-based toothbrush.

At the clothing shop, the clerk found a couple extra shirts in my size, but Tuuli seems satisfied with the clothes she brought. Men's underwear here look like loose-fitting diapers but my single pair of boxer-briefs won't last long. I got a few pairs and some socks. We skipped the women's section to avoid making Tuuli uncomfortable (I assume). With nightfall approaching, we headed back to the inn for dinner.

Tuuli certainly isn't the simple villager I feared she might be. She's an intelligent adult, born of this world (I assume), and even knows her way around town.

I leave Tuuli back in the room and go to the guild to sell our monster drops. I confirmed that the worthless-looking twigs were indeed practically worthless. At 10 Nars a pop and estimating that I could farm about 10 twigs an hour, I could maybe earn 1000 Nars after a long, ten-hour shift. Combining my crystal and trading cheats, I could gross, let's see, that's 7400 as a base, then it comes to a bit under 10k per day, at best. Pretty good but probably not enough to get a top-tier slave, if the prices are anything like the story.

I purchased a few empty crystals along with several of each of the common emergency pills. Fortunately, the guild receptionist didn't appear angry that I took so long. In fact she seemed to be in a bit of a daze, just fixedly staring up at me. Either I really do look unusual here or she's just near the end of her shift.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Slums

As much as I might lament the low value of first level drops, I've been conveniently ignoring my best income source: Bandits. I've already made a lot of money from bounties and even by selling the bandana-thief. With my special skills, I could be a fantastic bounty hunter! Of course, the more I hunt them, the more they'll hunt me. I might never feel safe enough to settle down or even sleep easy. That's a career for a game, not a comfortable life.

Oh right, the bandit-bandana. It'd be a shame not to use it after dooming that guy to slavery for swiping it. I should sell that. Since it's just for Bandits (it's in the name), I'll need to do it on the black market. If I recall, a certain someone used the bandana as bait to slaughter some criminals in their sleep. Feels like a bit too much, even for me. Fine after they run at me with a sword, but killing a sleeping person just because the system says it's allowed doesn't sit quite right. (Good to know I still have some moral limits... for now.)

Still a bit early so to distract myself with more pleasant thoughts, I decided to head to the labyrinth to rip through some monsters. But, why bother to walk? Now that I'm alone, time to test my warp skill, which seems to basically be fast-travel, allowing me to teleport anywhere I've already been. Since movement-magic is known here, even my Explorer job has one, it should be fine if others see me use it.

I open a portal and step into a quiet spot of the labyrinth, trying to act casual in case anyone sees me. Wow, that was way cooler than seeing little HUDs pop up! Reading about it gave none of the experience of undeniably real magic. Only way I'd go back to my old world now would be kicking and screaming the whole way... and then start drawing random, magic-looking circles to find a way back here. (Calm down, fan-boy.)

This OP sword helps me recover magic power, MP, so I childishly flitted about the labyrinth, chopping down trees at will. After a while, it feels like the criminals should have come out to play. Tuuli may wonder where I am, but it's not like we really have a routine established. She probably assumes I went to a bar.

In search of a buyer, I warp out to an alley near the slave shop. Damn it's dark! I guess it's true that this world has no moon. With one hand on the wall, I move in the direction the merchant warned me to avoid, the slums, I think. Continuing towards lights that turn out to come from the brothels, I follow the few lanterns towards the increasingly bad smell. I must be heading in the right direction. Now, to find a friendly criminal I can understand. Preferably, he'll also be alone, unarmed and honest to a fault.

Appraisal HUDs show a few criminals here and there. A bit further in, I spot a young couple (low-level villagers) in what appears to be an awkward situation with some thugs. Sure wish those villagers would get away from my potential customers. More bad guys show up and soon, Bonk. Down goes the villager guy and both get dragged away. The locals in the vicinity don't appear to witness anything. Outright selfish of those tourists to get mugged here. OK, enough joking, this is actually real — sickeningly so.

The gleeful kidnappers aren't hard to follow. I don't exactly blend in, but those guys are loud enough for everyone else to turn away. Really must be their turf to be so carefree. Seven thugs and their captives enter a shabby shack. A single, sad-looking Bandit is left behind to guard the door.

Although I have no proof of what it looked like they're about to do, I sure don't want to wait till it's too late. I hereby preemptively judge all of those thugs to be guilty. With the fair trial out of the way, it's time to proceed to the impartial sentencing. Well, considering that simply having a criminal job qualifies them for immediate execution, I already gave more consideration than technically necessary.

As distracted as these guys are, a frontal attack would certainly alert them. I don't look enough like them to claim that I had trouble finding a place to park. Instead, I'll have to quietly take out the guard, just like in the movies. Then, I'll swoop in and "catch them with their pants down". Oh, I really wish hadn't gotten that image into my head, but maybe better to prepare myself for the worst — bare bandit butts.

I warp in behind the lone guard and take him down him with a quick, merciful stab. Good. No noise. No witnesses, I hope. The door is unlocked, maybe isn't lockable, so I recruit the dead guard to act as my makeshift shield and step inside. Fortunately, they're still at the verbal-taunting stage and practically drooling in anticipation.

They're so engrossed, that I manage to take out the closest two before the others have time to wonder why their guard has apparently gone mad. I toss the guard at the least-confused villain and continue to strike them down, one after another. No questions asked. None are spared.

Most of them were rather low-level so they might not fetch much bounty. Of course, that can't compare to saving this young couple, at least this time. I don't really wanna know why the pair was out here or what they were doing because it's more comfortable to assume that they're purely innocent.

It's all over, but now what? Can't just casually stroll out of a shack full of dead guys like nothing's happened — "it was like that when I got here". Did I make too much noise? Could others come to join the party? Are they already here? Even the silence outside is suspicious. Better stack a few bodies to block the door.

Checking on the "innocent victims", it seems that they're breathing normally and probably not too badly hurt. The girl seems to have fainted, either from relief of getting rescued or witnessing the utter carnage. I'll just fix her clothes a bit and she'll be fine.

Well, no new guests have arrived to join the party so I might be in the clear. Sword at the ready, I push aside the doorstops and take a peek outside. Just a few people in the distance so immediate ambush seems unlikely. After closing the door again, I notice that the bad guys' status cards have popped out — guess I was here longer than I thought. "Just collecting tickets, last stop."

After a few gentle face slaps, the boy wakes up. Making sure my hood is up, "Hey, you got mugged but you're safe now. Take the girl and..." Yep, he can't understand a word I'm saying. Fortunately, he's smart enough to keep quiet and wait for instructions. Well, the pile of dead bodies around us might have helped give the impression that I'm in charge.

I get him to gently wake the girl and they leave quietly. Admirable level of composure. I know I'm risking exposure by letting them go, but anonymity isn't important enough to... well, would've been no sense in rescuing them in the first place if I was that paranoid.

Leaving me alone to clean up, huh? I could just leave it like this, but several missing thugs should cause less trouble than a pile of dead ones. They say that labyrinths absorb corpses so I'll just dump them there. I open a portal, check to make sure no one's near and start shoving the bodies through. Making sure to gather up the swords, I also step through for the perfect getaway — except for the lake of blood I left behind.

Oh, my head is throbbing from keeping that warp portal open so long. I hunt nearby trees and hack away till my head clears. The bodies have been absorbed without a trace, leaving only their gear behind. I gather the scattered coins and swords before warping back to my room.

I drop the loot, change to my least dirty shirt and warp out to a nearby alley to fetch my room key. I figured I had better get a couple of buckets of hot water to wash up and soak my dirty clothes. I'd really like to find a laundromat but, wait, this inn has laundry services. Well, this amount of blood may raise some suspicion so hot water will do for now. Time to get back.

Tuuli wakes up to me coming in or I woke her up the first time. Considering that she saw me drenched in blood just yesterday, it probably doesn't seem out of character. She motions for me to strip and proceeds to wipe off the worst of it. Would really prefer a nice, hot shower, but this is good enough for now. Glad that the blood doesn't seem to bother her. I guess it's normal in her environment... and mine now. I nod some sort of thanks, change into my old-world t-shirt and get into bed. Tuuli happily slides in behind me, snuggling up like it's perfectly natural. Before nature takes its course, I send her away, as if she was just playing a harmless game.

Yeah, I'm not that stupid, even if I pretend to be. I know what she's suggesting or at least offering. And, I'm neither a saint nor a prude. Call me weird but the idea of having sex with a slave just feels wrong — says the guy who just slaughtered a bunch of street thugs. Even if she isn't some innocent waif, it's still, by definition, a forced situation. But, putting any savior fantasies aside for the moment, what's Tuuli's actual motivation? Most likely, it's either a defense against getting dumped or it's simple entrapment.

Even if it's true love, I am not going to start dragging a pregnant woman through the labyrinths or fight with a BabyBjörn strapped to my back. OK, that should be a scary enough image to calm me down... nope, that seemed to make it even worse. I gotta get out of here before I violate the sanctity of our master-slave relationship.

"Later, babe. I've got some hot merch to fence." I quickly throw on my gear and a cape, escape to the corridor and warp back out to the slums — but away from the murder shack. Just hope no one's noticed it yet. I'll try again to find a potential buyer, but if more innocents decide to get mugged, I might just have to kill them myself. (Not really.) Wandered around for a while and soon got lucky. I spotted a relatively isolated Bandit speaking English. As soon as he was alone, I approached.

"Hey buddy, wanna buy a Rolex?"

"Huh?"

"Know a guy named 'Hugo'?"

"What if I do?"

"Well, he had a special bandana, you know."

"Yeah, he liked to brag about it. So what?"

"You see, when he died, raiding a village near here, I managed to snag it."

"Hmm, you don't say now. Got it with ya?"

"Yep, I can't use it myself, but I could sell it for, maybe 12k?"

"Hmm?"

"Oh, I mean 12 thousand."

"A bit steep. How about 10?"

"Deal."

"I don't have that much on me. Come on inside."

"Nah, I value my neck. I'll wait out here."

"Ha ha, smart man. Uh, not that I planned on doing anything like that."

"Of course. Of course."

A few minutes later, he came out with a gold coin and I exchanged it for the bandit bandana. OK, that went well. I started to walk back towards the nicer parts of town 10k richer... and followed by my new friend. Guess he wasn't an honorable criminal after all. The thug was well concealed, but easy to spot with my appraisal HUD floating over his head (thankfully visible only to me).

Seems safe to assume he wants to force a special discount. With sword in hand, a quick warp to a wall behind him and it's over in an instant. Quick and easy. No need to let his card go to waste, but just as I was about to free him of his unneeded hand, I realize that we aren't alone.

A few meters away stood two more attackers, just as shocked to see me as I them. Only difference is that they hadn't drawn their swords yet. I made a quick lunge at the closest one to catch enough of his neck to take away the threat. The last guy managed to prepare himself and stood ready for my attack.

Identify tells me that my opponent is a level 35 Bandit. My eyes tell me that he's large, angry and knows how to fight... so, I run away as fast as possible. I am not stupid enough to stand toe-to-toe against a guy like that.

It seems that my cowardly action was somewhat unexpected, but he soon recovered and gave chase. Letting him almost catch up, I zipped around a corner, opened a warp from my side to just behind him on his side, and then, with a quick poke to the neck, it was over. Totally unfair to fight like this, but I'm happy to take the win.

I politely freed the big guy of his hand and sword before jogging back to do the same to the other two. Maybe I was a bit too exposed this time, but I couldn't see anyone following. Still, just to be extra safe, I made a quick detour to the labyrinth. After the cards popped, I made it back to the inn safely. Should probably stay away from that dangerous neighborhood for a while.

More carefully this time, I managed to sneak into our room, strip off my notably less-bloody clothes and slip into my bed. I sure have killed an awful lot of criminals lately, especially compared to the count of zero in my old world. Guess it's fine if I don't think of them as people. Had I always been a sociopath? Or maybe, a psychopath? Probably neither in this society. Regardless, I comfortably fell asleep, counting thugs instead of sheep.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Slaves

Day 3

I woke up understandably late the next morning to find that Tuuli had washed my clothes and seemed to be impatiently waiting for me to drag my lazy butt out of bed. Since breakfast conversation options were limited, I worked on devising an optimal strategy using my ultimate cheat-skill — recollection of the manga.

Normal plot progression demands that I obtain Roxanne, the first and by far most important slave of the manga. She's a big-chested wolf-kin — her chest must be acknowledged since it's basically a major plot element. Despite her exaggerated appearance, she can be considered almost as important to early survival as Durandal. She is an excellent vanguard, hard-working, trustworthy, and pleasant.

On the other hand, Roxanne is expensive (boob tax), needy, and painfully subservient. The level of praise and worship would seriously drive me nuts. Another problem, which I'm almost ashamed to admit, is that the thought of her fluffy dog-tail simply creeps me out. We're all different, but a dog-tail would remind me too much of, well, a dog's tail. Why do I automatically assume a physical relationship with a slave? It's the manga's fault.

That entire thought process reminded me that I've been ignoring an important matter — I'm filthy. I'm certainly no clean-freak, but repeatedly getting drenched in blood requires more than dabbing with a wet rag. At the very least, I should be able to find a spot at a river or lake. I tried to mime "shower" and then switched to the universal gesture of rubbing my armpits, but adding "singing" to my mime routine seems to have derailed the message.

After breakfast, I fetched a soapberry and we headed off towards the labyrinth. The nearby river was thankfully upstream from the city and had a good spot for bathing. I saw several people washing various things so it seemed to be permitted.

Since I'm not quite crude enough to fully bare myself in public, I just stripped down to my Earthly boxers and jumped in. Initially surprised by my actions, Tuuli stood nearby and watched while I washed my hair and body. Actually, it felt like everyone here was watching me. Maybe this wasn't really a bathing spot since everyone else was fully-clothed and not standing in the water. Well, we're far from the town guards and no one's yelling at me so I guess it's fine.

Not having the foresight to bring a towel, I sort of shook off and put on the shirt I had brought along. With no graceful way to change my shorts, I turned away from the onlookers and made it quick. Better get out of here before someone actually does complain. Probably good that I couldn't understand what the locals were saying. We walked back towards the inn with Tuuli sticking close to me in a protective manner — she's a good helper.

Afterwards, we went to the knight's station to sell status cards. Should've looked a bit suspicious to turn in so many, but, as expected, I didn't get any special reaction. Didn't even seem that the transactions are being logged, at least, not to my name. As disinterested as usual, the knight came back to hand over a bag containing over 95k. If labyrinth diving doesn't work out, bounty hunting is certainly an option.

Tuuli must think that I run around killing thugs on a daily basis, which is technically true, but I'm starting to worry more about why she's still willing to stay with me. Could my actions actually be considered average or even timid in this world? We eventually reached the slave house and Tuuli started getting nervous. Oh crap, maybe she thinks I'm here to break the contract. After asking for the owner, we're led into a nice sales room. I'm trying to get Tuuli to calm down, but she's nervously muttering to herself.

"Ah, nice to see you again, Mr. Moreau. Good morning. How can I help you?"

"Good Morning, Alan. I'm interested in purchasing a slave who can teach this woman, Tuuli, how to communicate with me, at least the basics. The three of us will also explore labyrinths together. I'm not particular regarding appearance or age, as long as she's strong enough to keep up."

"I understand. Not a dedicated Tutor but a female slave who is strong enough to keep up with you and also teach this slave to do the same."

Weird phrasing but he's right. There's no way I could trust Tuuli to a male slave nor do I want some frail teacher-type who can't endure the labyrinths with us. "Yes, I want a strong and capable woman."

"Certainly, Sir. It's a very practical man who understands that a pretty face isn't all that matters."

I'm getting the impression that the slaver may be getting the wrong idea, but coming here to buy a slave to help take care of my current slave doesn't help me look honorable. Explaining that I just want the slave long enough to teach Tuuli and help me get settled is completely unnecessary. Promising a slave now that she'll be released soon would just sound insincere. Better to keep my lack of nefarious plans to myself for now.

"If you'll pardon me for a moment."

After a quick nod, the slaver spoke directly to Tuuli. Whatever he said, seemed to ease her anxiety. "Well then, if you care to follow me, Sir, I'll show you to our girls."

The three of us went upstairs and exchanged words with the candidates. Of course, Tuuli spoke too. To my relief, none of them were wearing slave collars. I guess it really was a visual shortcut — and odd that I'm worried about canon in an artificial world. Also missing was Roxanne. Now that I think about it, she might not speak the local, human language.

We only looked at the female slaves since men can't be trusted. Of the women that seemed reasonable, one was quite young, but seemed arrogant and lazy, the second only paid attention to me and the last, Tessa, was just right. Tessa's a level 12 Warrior who had served as the bodyguard to some lord's brat. She fell into slavery after some incident involving the lord himself — I didn't ask for details. She's a cat-kin, but grew-up near here so can communicate with Tuuli.

Tessa is 23-years-old, tomboy-ish, and not exactly servile. Correspondingly, her price of 300k is notably lower than the um, escort-type girls. Her rough personality isn't great, but I can't say I'd act any better in her situation. I'm sure she'll eventually see that my intentions are honorable (for a slave owner). So, as a first token of trust, I decided to void the traditional slaves must follow their owners to the grave part of the contract. I value my own life over others, but that practice is simply barbaric.

With mercy as an extra cost and my trade cheat, I got Tessa for a bit over 210k. Since Tuuli was cost-free, I effectively got two helpers for that money. Unless I really screw-up, releasing them later won't hurt me financially. Heck, for that price I could get another... but not Roxanne. Damn, better get away from here before I do something really foolish.

Safely outside and still with the bulk of my money, the three of us walked towards the inn... but one of us was barefoot. What's with the shoes-not-included policy of this world? When we return tonight, I'll rent a single room for me. May as well give them some privacy. Besides, Tessa might snore.

"Tessa, what type of weapon do you prefer?"

"Whatever."

"Well, take a look through the pile over there. Otherwise, we'll get something else."

"This one looks OK."

"Oh, the short sword? Good. Take it and we'll sell the rest."

"Um, now?"

"Yes, as soon as you're ready. There's some twine over there to bundle them."

With Tessa being rather nimble, she chose leather armor, a small shield, backpack and, of course, shoes. We also went to another store to pick out personal items. Other than the occasional glance that seemed to say "why are you buying all this for a slave," Tessa remained quite stiff.

After a small lunch of meat-on-a-stick — essential for any isekai scenario — we went back to the inn to prepare for a quick pass in the labyrinth.

"Um, you want me to carry this sword myself?"

"Well, yeah. It's yours after all. Having trouble?"

"No, it's just, never mind."

We entered the labyrinth and I asked Tessa to demonstrate her skill against the monsters. As expected, the monsters were no challenge for her.

When it was my turn to show off, I had them stay back to witness my great prowess. Just when my dance partner showed up, I heard a "bonk" followed by a "thud". I quickly jumped past the tree monster as Tessa lunged at me. Fortunately, I was just out of her reach so I opened a warp portal to make a quick escape.

"Chant-less?!" Tessa rushed to follow when she suddenly fell to the ground with a "thud" of her own.

I quickly slashed the ignored tree, pulled out the twine we'd used for the swords, and tied Tessa's hands behind her back. Sure was glad I hadn't told her about my special warp-behind-your-back sneak attack.

I checked on Tuuli to see that she'd just been knocked down and not really hurt. She said something apologetic-sounding and I mumbled thanks.

I picked up the still dazed Tessa, threw her over my shoulder, opened a warp portal to the alley near the slave shop and we all went through. Not certain if Tuuli understood what I'd just done since she was still sort of shocked.

Soon, Tessa started to regain focus. After a feeble struggle, she barked out, "Where the hell am I? How did we get here?"

"Well, Tessa, that attack sure was unexpected. If you had a complaint, you could have just told me. And why did you attack Tuuli?"

"Couldn't risk her interfering."

"OK. But, what could I have done to piss you off?" (... other than making you my slave.)

"You can't fool me. Tuuli told me what you did."

"What? I didn't lay a finger on her. I swear."

"So you admit it! That's disgusting."

"Um, what?"

"Who other than some sick pervert would reject a willing slave? She told me everything. She tried to share your bed, but you... you just pushed her away. I couldn't just wait around to see what a twisted creep like you might do."

"Hm, cultural misunderstanding or maybe you're just nuts. Either way, we're done."

I pulled Tessa into the slave shop with Tuuli following timidly behind.

"Welcome back, Mr. Moreau. Are you perhaps having trouble with your new slave?"

"Yes, she sort of tried to kill me on our first trip to the labyrinth. Not really sure why since everything seemed fine up until then."

"Oh, very unfortunate and not at all usual for our shop. But, Sir, I must say, it's for just this sort of situation why 'on master's death' is standard for slave contracts."

"Point taken. First-timer's mistake. Anyway, it doesn't feel like we're a good match."

"Understandable, Sir. It has been a very short time since the purchase but she will need extensive training. Let's see, her price was 300,000 Nars, I believe, so I can offer you... 150,000 Nars in return."

"That's fair. I'd also like to cancel the contract for Tuuli here. The language issue is inconvenient but I get the feeling that she'd rather go home than live this sort of life."

"Understood, Sir. If you'll just pardon me for a moment."

The slaver then spoke with Tuuli for a while. Possibly he needed her acceptance but it's also possible that he wanted to hear her side of the story. Have to admit that's exactly what he should do. Working with an especially bad customer could damage his reputation.

After their conversation, Tuuli looked sad but possibly relieved — this sort of life was perhaps a bit too exciting.

"No problems, Sir. I'll take care of both matters right away."

A little mumbo-jumbo and I'm no longer a slave owner.

"And here's 194,610 Nars to you, Sir. This includes our apology minus the small fee for changing Tuuli's status. I certainly hope this event won't deter you from owning slaves in the future."

"Yes, of course. Still, I'll try to be more cautious next time. Oh, and I want Tessa's gear and clothing, especially the shoes."

I took Tuuli back to the inn to fetch her stuff. I let her keep the spear but switched her job back to Farmer. Walking to an alley near the inn, I warped us back to the little barn in her village. Good that no one was there but I didn't really care at this point. We found the village chief and briefly explained the recent events. He nodded and mumbled something like "town folk are nuts". Tuuli was accepted back into the community.

I helped Tuuli to her hut. Once inside, she grabbed my arm and had me sit down next to her. Looking rather upset, it was clear that she wanted a warm hug for comfort. Don't know exactly how, but we ended up comforting each other. I was seduced by an older woman, well, it's more like I got a casual invitation from a woman in her mid-twenties, but I was happy to accept.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Alone Again

Day 4

Pleasantly refreshed, I woke to find Tuuli gently urging me to get the hell out. But, instead of showing me to the door, she pointed to the wall. Getting the hint, I gave her a quick hug and opened a portal near to the inn. I entered and went directly to breakfast. Too lazy to switch to a single room, I went upstairs to get ready for some alone time in the labyrinth.

Somehow, I felt safer alone. I hacked away till I eventually found the boss room, or rather the waiting room for it. According to literature, boss rooms enforce a one-party-at-a-time policy. Don't know why or how but, you know, magic. Anyway, no one else was here so I got let in without waiting.

Now, it may seem a bit reckless to fight the floor boss alone but I was, um, foolish. Fortunately, it worked out just fine. I used the Hero's skill to momentarily accelerate myself faster than the boss could react and managed to take it down rather quickly. It dropped a leaf rather than a twig. Sort of remembered something being special about this. Meh, it'll come to me later. Exiting through the other side, I was now on the second floor. That's enough for now so I left for lunch.

Munching on a meat-skewer, I decided to check my status. OK, I started with Villager and Hero, got two bonus points and added Explorer as my third job. Now, I have two more bonus points from reaching Villager:5 and have unlocked new jobs: Warrior, like Tuuli, but also Swordsman, Herbalist and Merchant. The first was probably from the floor boss' leaf. Now I can make d... I mean, medicines. I'll ignore Merchant for now and get rid of Villager. Wait, how do I do that? Right, I need to use a point for Job Setting and I'll lose another since Explorer is a level lower than Villager.

This would be a lot easier on a spreadsheet. Actually, I really should write all this down. I could probably allocate my bonus skills a bit better too. Since I can immediately see how many points I have left, it shouldn't be hard to figure out the cost of each. And this ring I got on the first day, is it actually useful? It's just level two so probably not. I should see what else I could get after reaching higher levels.

Anyway, where was I? Right, now my set-up is Explorer:4, Hero:2 and Warrior:1. Swordsman might be more powerful but I think Warrior should unlock other stuff later. Can't really check but it shouldn't really matter even if I'm getting this mixed up with a different manga. No need to micro-manage this but shouldn't just ignore it either.

What other jobs can I unlock next? Well, I know how to become a Thief but maybe something more useful. Um, there's Monk (which seems to be more Shaolin than cloister), but the true gem is Mage. I clearly remember the trick to unlock that job and it wasn't pleasant. More importantly, it's too dangerous to be performed without someone I can trust to back me up. If I pass out doing it, I might die and find myself in some pirate-based isekai or, more likely, be dead-dead. And since I don't currently have anyone I can trust with my life, I'd have to...

Crap, already rationalized my way back to slavery and this time, it's simply to satisfy my chibuu..., um, chubby-nya... ah, who cares, I really, really want to shoot off a fireball. I miss my games and I'd much rather be a wizard or an archer than a front-line grunt (no offense). Hmm, haven't seen any bows here but they'd be useless in the labyrinths anyway. Even if they have bows, there's no way in hell I'd go out into the very-real-looking, monster-infested forests alone before I reach very high levels.

Just realized that I've been talking to myself like a crazed hermit ever since I came to this world. Safety aside, not sure how long I'll last on my own before I grow my hair out and squat in some cave (or whatever real ones do). Well, time to get back to reality by fighting CG monsters in the full-immersion video game, aka, the labyrinth.

With nothing special to do afterwards, I went out for a walk around town but stayed away from the slums. No need to use myself as bandit-bait tonight. Perhaps negating that flicker of restraint, I soon found myself entering a small tavern. It sounded like everyone was speaking Valic, or something else, so it shouldn't be too fancy for me. Anyway, this world doesn't strike me as especially restrictive and I already reached drinking age last year in the old world so having a beer or two couldn't hurt.

Ugh, but it did hurt. Not too strong — just bad. It was flat, warm and had an odd smell. Maybe ale means something different here but the bartender's smirk suggested that outsiders weren't welcome. Well, it worked. I don't drink hard liquor so there was nothing left in here but noise. The weak lager that comes with dinner at the inn is good enough. I might try another place sometime, but it doesn't really matter. Regardless, there's no way I'd risk getting drunk at a bar in a different world.

Well, that sure sucked. I'll just get back to the inn and... seriously? Now I'm being followed, probably from the bar. Do I really look like someone easy to mug? Let's see, well-dressed, alone, didn't speak the local language... yep, I'd mug me.

Even after promising myself not to act like bait, I seem to have hooked a couple of hungry fish. Around another corner and now there's just one but he's definitely following me. Is the other guy uninvolved, trying to circle around or maybe gathering reinforcements? Nah, I don't look that tasty... unless I was recognized from one of my other encounters.

Not patient enough to wait to find out, I turn back towards the guy behind me and yell, "Hey buddy, I'm lost. Can I get some directions?"

A bit surprised but trying to act casual, he said something I couldn't understand, probably because he couldn't understand me. I sort of shrugged, pointed randomly and tried to pantomime lost. He seemed to get it and waved me over in a friendly manner. The HUD clearly identified him as a low-level Bandit, but maybe, just maybe he was the friendly type of cut-throat.

As I approached, I noticed him glancing at my waist, hopefully checking for a sword. The helpful Bandit tried to communicate in an animated manner but I could hear someone closing in on me quickly from behind — not so stealthy but I guess my little stunt messed up their timing.

Just as the guy in front drew a long knife, I performed an unexpected head-butt directly into his face. Spinning around just in time to see the other guy lunging for me, it certainly looked like he had me until I re-equipped Durandal directly in front of his chest and just out of reach of his knife.

Not properly waiting for his turn, the bloody-faced Bandit took a swing at me but he was probably still a bit disoriented so it was easy to dodge.

Unfortunately for him, he was now right between me and a wall. Almost by reflex, I threw a full body-check. Well, that wasn't quite regulation. The fight's over but the stone wall behind him did most of the work.

Vowing never to return to that bar, I detached their left hands and opened a portal to the labyrinth. May as well take these guys with me. I wonder if... yep, I got the Monk job from this little encounter. "Wow, thanks guys!" I'll temporarily replace Warrior with Monk. OK, let's see, healing is called Medical Treatment. "Ah, that's better." Guess I'd hit that wall pretty hard too.

I did some casual hunting till the cards popped out and then walked back to the inn manually, um, by foot? Maybe I really am starting to lose it... though the mass-killings might be even better evidence of that. Would positive, social interaction help or should I just slink off to the wilderness after all? Nah, it's not that bad, yet. Guess I've defended myself against at least 20 bad guys by now — probably more but lost count.

Day 5

After breakfast, I sold yesterday's twigs and the latest set of cards — no bounties this time, damn small fries. I'll spend the day in the labyrinth to farm trees for EXP and get in some sword practice. These opponents wouldn't help with finesse but a sword doesn't swing like a stick — neither hockey nor lacrosse.

I kept practicing till it was time to get my usual meat-skewer — really nice that there's practically no lines for lunch. While munching, I realize that after just a few days, the first floor is really boring. It'd be different if I could mash a few keys and zone out but these damn twig-generators could land a lucky shot and knock me out.

My current level isn't high enough to max out my EXP cheats, which would help me raise my level. Putting Durandal away would give me enough points to max one EXP cheat and add a step to the other one. Certainly can't do that now and it'd take even longer before I could max out both EXP skills. Guess I just need to be patient.

On the second floor in the afternoon, walrus-sized caterpillars had teamed up with the trees. Fortunately, they too are slow and my sword is so OP that I can handle two at a time (in any combination) so it's not much of a challenge. Still, this is much better than the first floor and I don't need the possibility of insta-death for entertainment.

Just as I was thinking about how reasonable I am, one of the giant caterpillars spit sticky thread at me. Fortunately, it was far enough away that I could dodge. I think the manga said that the goo stays until the bug gets squashed. I could be wrong, but don't want to test it. Even if wears off sooner, two slugs might be able to tag-team me to death. I consider myself pretty agile, but even if I could dodge 99% of the time, that'd likely leave me dead within a week... especially after this floor becomes too boring to stay alert.

Coincidentally, this felt like a good point to stop so I walked over to the weapon shop to get my new scabbard. Luckily, the same guy was there since I didn't give my name or bother to check his.

"I'm here for the custom scabbard I ordered the other day."

"Right. As you can see, it looks like any other piece of crap."

"Yep, completely unremarkable. It's perfect, thanks."

"Ha ha, you really know how to hurt a craftsman. Well, at least there's no chance I'd want to tell anyone and I'll ask you to do the same. Still, this ugly thing is dependable and should have a fast draw. Take it out back and try it out so I can see if it'll need any adjustments."

I tied it to my belt and moved the sword slowly like I was really checking, at least, I hope it looked like that. Seemed fine so I tried a couple of quick draws. Not ready to duel a samurai, but the wide top made it easy to draw even if I didn't pull perfectly straight.

"Great work. How much?"

"Five silver."

"Fair price. I'll try to make future requests a bit more normal... but no promises."

"Yep. Wouldn't believe you if you denied it. But, it was a fun challenge anyway."

I made sure not to have any trade cheats active this time. No need to weasel down an honest craftsman, better to save that for slave traders.

I sold my twigs and thread (from the worms) at the guild before going back to the labyrinth's first floor to waste time till dinner. Ate, rinsed off and started thinking about Tuuli. It'd be rude not to check in to see how she's doing. Even better to warp directly to her hut to protect her privacy. Yep, warping right into her room is the polite thing to do.

Poking my head through the open portal, I just saw a dark room. Good, just intruding, not interrupting.

"Tuuli, mind if I come in?"

"■■■ ■■■■?! Taavi?"

"Yes, Tuuli, it's me, David."

"Tavi!"

As hoped, Tuuli was happy to see me so I stayed the night. Not really sure why I'm visiting her, besides the obvious. Well, I don't really know anyone else (excluding Alan the Slaver) and she's honestly rather pleasant, not just for the obvious. Even if she were still my slave, I probably would've given in to her eventually. Still, this situation is much more palatable. It seems that not enslaved is my kink.

Not quite ready to fall asleep, I initiated some one-sided pillow-talk. I told her all about my old home, family, plans and aspirations. It didn't make me sad, but it felt good to let it out so I could comfortably shut the door on that old life. As far as I can tell, the real me is physically here with no obvious way to return. My (presumably) mysterious disappearance would be difficult for those I had held nearest and dearest but at least I wasn't married and/or had any kids. Tuuli gently stroked my head till I fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Exploration

Day 6

Waking up in her warm embrace, Tuuli didn't try to push me out right away this time. She cooked up some porridge while I set the table. Honestly, this situation isn't half bad. While eating, we tried to teach each other a few words and phrases in English and Valic — I still don't know the real names for either. Doesn't seem like Tuuli knows how to write, but introducing my alphabet wouldn't be doing her any favors.

I wonder if Tuuli would like to come back to town and the labyrinths. Mainly using clumsy hand signals, I try to ask. Seeming to understand, she looks at me with a sort of placating smile and expresses that she'll stay here to farm and I should go off to fight on my own.

A bit late, but I also try ask about pregnancy (finger-motions followed by belly-swelling). Tuuli shakes her head and adds some rather explicit gestures to suggest that she's got it covered. Sure, it could just be a convenient misunderstanding on my part, but Tuuli isn't some starry-eyed, infatuated teen. She's an experienced widow who appears perfectly happy with our casual relationship. I have no idea if keeping me a secret is to keep me to herself or to keep her options open, but I hope she'll be honest.

With a nice hug and kiss, Tuuli points me to the wall and I warp directly back to my room. I go downstairs to get a bit more to eat — I'm paying for it after all. Still enjoying my solitude, but not wanting to get too comfortable in a bachelor's lifestyle, I head out to bathe at the river near the labyrinth.

Making certain to move a bit further away this time, it was nice to relax for a while and just enjoy the scenery. Once I've really settled in here, I should go on some long walks. Being able to warp back at any time would be like camping with a microwave and satellite TV, but the lack of modern medicine or wildlife management should be exciting enough.

Even if I'm not ready to trek through the wild, it's time to see more of this world than one village, one town and one labyrinth. After my extended bath, watched by only a few dedicated voyeurs, I go back to the inn to get my gear. Honestly, I could just move to another town, but I'd rather be able to do long-distance warp before leaving a place where everything's close.

Traveling between cities should be easier if I learn to read the signs, so I might as well start getting some book-learnin' on this trip. I drop by the general store for some basic writing materials. Pen and ink cost a bit more than expected and nice paper is way too expensive for casual note-taking.

Next to these, I see a, well, it looks like a large, foldable smartphone. Is this a reality glitch? Nope, just a folding wooden case for two wax writing tablets. The wax is nearly black (like a powered-off screen) and the thing even comes with a stylus. I ask the clerk about it and get a response like I'd just asked a modern person what a phone was for.

Basically, these things seem to be a cross between a drawing pad and an etch-a-sketch. I'm told that the tablets are almost infinitely reusable if the wax is changed every year or so. In this book form, I'm getting two tablets in a portable, durable 'smartphone' case. I got the ink, pen and expensive paper for long-term archiving and the relatively affordable notebook for daily use.

The adventurer's guild, where I typically sell my monster drops, also serves as a travel center. With a little help, I locate the list of common destinations and try to copy the names into my new notebook. With this in hand, I pay a small fee to a guild staff member to read the list back to me. Recording my phonetic guesses will hopefully be enough to help me crack the code. She manages to read my copied text, but frowns at the simplistic block-letters I write next to them. Fortunately, numbers are rather easy to read, even if unnecessarily ornate.

It seems that one-way trips via Field Walker (a limited version of my 'warp') typically cost a couple silver. One silver is worth, um, I can't remember. Using Nar as the smallest unit makes for some awkwardly large numbers so I guess most people think in terms of coin types. The fact that coin values differ by factors of 100 feels really fake — a natural system would be messier, but would hopefully avoid the bother of getting 90 coins back in change from a small purchase. I heard that there should be some coins to fit into 10x spots, but they're either rare or just a wish.

I wonder if Guild IDs double as debit cards. I've read that in other stories and I'd actually join one for that convenience alone. Actually, do they even have Guild IDs in this world? Guild membership might just be written on your status card or... Wait, what did she say?

"Um, yes? Imperial Capital. Do you have any space left?"

I temporarily join the Adventurer's party and step through the newly-created portal.

My first impression is that the capital looks more modern than it should. Actually, the tall pillars had a classic-roman feel except that they're not yet in ruin. At street level, there were a lot of fancy stores that I knew to avoid. I have absolutely no interest in fancy lace underwear or silk robes.

The people of the capital are generally better dressed than in Vale, but otherwise pretty much the same. Maybe they're a bit taller and it seems to be roughly correlated with apparent wealth. Given my height and moderately nice clothes, maybe I appear to be an upper-class commoner or even a minor noble. Actually, I probably look like a demi-human... in fact, I might actually be one, at least from this world's perspective. Now that I think of it, does my status card clearly state that I'm human? Should it say that I'm Homo telluris? Nah, hard to imagine that sort of detail in a game world with this level of technology.

I don't really know much about this city from the manga — probably skipped that part. What was clear is that this rich-folk area I'm in now isn't particularly useful for anything besides people-watching.

I decided to look for a more middle-class neighborhood (to use the term loosely). Could start asking around, but "where do regular people live" feels odd. A nice, annotated map (assuming I could read it) would be great, but probably a military secret.

Didn't take too long to find some of the weirder, niche merchants which could pass as "middle". Looks like I could get spices and less common foods in bulk so I should come back here once I've managed to move out of a hotel room. But, that's nothing for now so I'm pretty much done here and move on to my next target.

I went back to the adventurer's guild to catch a ride to 'Quarter', no, 'Quasar'. Damn, doesn't seem to be anything similar on my list from Vale and I can't read the signs yet. Too many destinations listed here to do another transcription session (meaning, I'm too lazy), but asking to go to the city where "that other Earthling lived" probably won't work, especially since I seem to be in a duplicate (or reboot) of his version. Well, I'll just try an indirect method:

"Excuse me, but are there any trips scheduled to the city that has a labyrinth in the center?"

Behind me, I hear, "Sure, I'll take you to 'Curatar'. Two silver. Just wait a few minutes to see if anyone else wants to go." Probably more expensive for tourists, but not going to try to hunt around for a better deal. Oh yeah, now I remember, a silver is worth 100 Nar, which means it's 1/100th of a gold coin. Good that long distance travel isn't too expensive, but daily commuting would really pile up.

He announces the city's name a few times (definitely not 'Quasar') before the two of us walk through his portal to Curatar... as far as I know. Heck, he could just as easily take me to a penal colony, but this world seems notably honest for having so many murderous thugs walking around. Maybe it's the kill on sight rule that makes everything so black or white. No one wants to fall to the dark-side, but once there, may as well embrace it because you probably won't be able to climb back out. So, rather similar to some justice systems back on Earth.

If you ignore the remote possibility of getting kidnapped or pressed into the navy, this long-distance transportation system is absolutely awesome. Pay a couple coins, (metaphorically) hold hands and step-through a portal to another city in an instant — who needs technology when this sort of convenient magic is possible?

Curatar is a nice city that feels like a nice compromise between Vale and the capital. I may want to live here some day. Besides the convenience of the central labyrinth, it's far from the slums of Vale where I've had multiple clashes against the criminal elements. If they really want to find me, a simple description like "tall foreigner with a fancy sword" might be enough to identify me. Few got away from my battles, but I didn't even try to blend in.

As I walk around Curatar, I feel a bit like I'm a tourist exploring the home town of some historical figure, which is sort of accurate. As much as I might criticize the manga, I still liked the story and setting well enough to read it... more than once. I even skimmed through the light novel version, but dropped it when the MC started doing some creepy stuff to an elven slave girl. Can't pretend the rest of the manga was exactly kid-friendly, but cruelty really gets to me. Heck, even if she had been really into it, I'm just too vanilla for that sort of stuff — says the recent slave owner who is diddling his former slave when we have no shared language. Well, we all have our lines.

While I'm here, I'll get stuff for when I get the Mage job, which will hopefully be soon. I'll use my useful appraisal cheat to look for empty skill slots, which are necessary for an attempted skill fusion to succeed. It seems that not even merchants or blacksmiths can see these so they simply have to guess if an enchantment will be possible. I plan to make full use of this incredible advantage and maybe even switch over to become a very, very lucky merchant.

My greed must be easy to read, but a lot of people look like that around here. I picked out a wand and staff with open skill slots, which were mixed in with all the normal ones at the same price. Even if I told them the potential difference in value, they'd never believe me... and if they did believe me, I'd risk getting locked in some noble's basement as a sorting tool.

Before going up to pay, I prepared some BS excuse for why a guy like me needs Mage gear, but the shopkeeper didn't seem to care about who buys what. I'm getting a bit better at keeping my mouth shut.

It's already noon so may as well check out the local cuisine. The meat-skewer I got wasn't bad, but they're better back in Vale. Of course, this was just the first food-stall I happened to see so there was still some hope.

How would a strict vegetarian fare in this society? I guess it'd be possible with some effort and experimentation with the locally-available vegetables. Food allergies or other restrictions could be harder. Can't say that I've ever read a manga where the MC was gluten-intolerant. Meh, good to be an omnivore, like the rat I am.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: Solo Player

Happy with finding an adequate meat-skewer, I'll move on to what I'm really supposed to be doing here: checking out Curatar's Labyrinth. With the city quite literally centered on it, this labyrinth actually has an entrance fee. I can afford the one silver, but this damn toll booth really slows down the traffic. Quite a bother and a bit of a rip-off, but I plan to jump the turnstiles later anyway — I guess that's bad of me, but they shouldn't be charging people who are working to fight the labyrinths.

The gatekeepers also sell maps for each floor with a full stack going for 1000 Nars. The drawing is rather crude, but covers the first 90 floors so the price is quite reasonable. They also sell a fancy, bound version for 20k — no thanks. I'll just sketch a map or two onto my wax notepad and leave the fragile parchment bundle at home.

I pay for the cheaper map set and entrance fee and finally get my turn to step into Curatar's Labyrinth. As expected, the interior is apparently designed with the standard GUI toolkit, but in contrast to Vale, this place is full of noobs. Scores of young, enthusiastic, fools are running around like children, which many of them technically are.

This labyrinth really matches the vibe of entrance fee. Wouldn't be surprised to see food stalls or carnival games. Early mornings are probably even worse, but even this is bad enough for a small-town guy like me. Well, it probably thins out at night or within a few floors. Now, with so many people milling about, monsters are hard to find.

When I finally manage to find one, it turns out to be the stereotypical starting monster, a kobold. This even further reinforces the amusement park feel, but, to be fair, this should be a nice safe place for beginners. I'm just being a grump.

My several days of labyrinth exploration may have made me a bit dismissive. I should try to remember what it was like... back in the old days of last week. As it is now, if the kobolds weren't carrying knives and the noobs wouldn't get in the way, I could probably just sleepwalk through this floor.

I sound like a guy who's about to get stabbed with a shabby, little knife... nope, didn't happen, I'm OK. Keeping my OP sword at the ready, I follow the general flow of people towards the main attraction. No need to bother with a map here.

For the slower groups, a little "mind if I play through" seems to work. Fortunately, the line to the boss room isn't terribly long, especially since several parties practically insisted that I go before them. Don't know if they're being polite or hoping to get my cool sword if I fail.

The kobold boss, which had a German name for some reason, was just a slightly stronger kobold. Rather, I should say that it was a bit less weak. I shouldn't get too complacent and remember the important part: I didn't die. That's what boss battles are: win or die.

Still plenty of daylight left, by my crude estimate, so I continue on to the second floor. This one introduces olive trees, which means that I should change what I call the other trees, but Olive is a much better name than Needlewood.

Just like Vale's Labyrinth, the second floor here could have groups of two monsters. I sort of remember some rule about the number, but the current lineup didn't really seem capable of using it strategically against me anyway. Of course, if I had a cheap, copper sword as someone in my position should, this could be a completely different situation.

After this much continuous fighting, the impact is hard on my wrists, but that might be due to poor technique. On the other hand, seems like my lacrosse experience helps, even if this sword is heavier than a stick. Well, hockey's been useful too, but mainly for hand-to-hand scuffles. The important thing is that these trees weren't particularly dangerous, even as a solo player.

The number of parties on this floor has dropped from carnival to haunted house — better, but I wouldn't have to wait a full minute to see other people. This time, I actually glance at the map (for the correct floor), but by the half-way mark, it was pretty obvious. Even burning through the shortest route, it's pretty late by the time I reach the boss room. I consider going in, but I'm simply too tired. It'd probably be fine, but boss rooms don't give players a second chance or any means of escape part-way through... as far as I know. I haven't tried warp, but would hate to cause a paradox.

It'd be nice to just warp back to my room in Vale, but I don't think I have nearly enough MP for that yet. Worse, I don't know if trying to warp too far would drop me some place along the way, make me pass out (here, there or elsewhere) or just kill me. The latter seems a bit pessimistic, but no way to tell without actually doing it. It's sort of like, "I wonder if this fall will kill me"... no, it's much worse. It's actually more like, "Did I drink too much to drive home", except I don't have a (teleportation) license, experience or the instructions.

An extra complication is that I have no idea how far away I am from Vale. Measuring shadow angles at noon and using a reliable timer could work, but it'd require patience and be hard to do without long-distance warp, which sort of defeats the purpose. Hmm, I wonder if there's some sort of Scientist job? Well, I sure won't get it with this sort of lazy attitude.

A merchant could probably give me a rough estimate, if they were friendly and not worried about competition. Before doing any of this stuff, I should try to get a world or national map with towns marked, solving the entire problem with a little money. Sometimes, "I'll give you this nifty barometer if you tell me how high this building is", really is the best strategy.

Too late to worry about such details, I soberly walk to the adventurer's guild and look for a taxi back to Vale. Doesn't seem to be a standard route from here, but I manage to find someone to take me directly for four silvers. It's worth saving me the bother of a stop-over at the capital.

Huh, it's not just past sundown, but really dark here in Vale. That's too crude for a good data point, but at least I know that Vale and Curatar aren't within walking distance. I should have enough mana after I get the Mage job and level it, but it's a good thing I didn't try to warp from Curatar today. At least I can safely warp to the inn from here to hopefully make it there before I miss dinner. With time to spare, I enjoy the plain but perfectly adequate food. The guy at the reception desk says that the dinner period normally lasts a couple hours past sundown.

I haven't seen any normal clocks here, not even in the center of town. Maybe they're rare and expensive. Are 'hours' a soft translation feature or do the locals have internal clocks? Maybe even digital, seeing as how coin denominations are 10- or 100-based. Or, growing up without watches just makes them good at estimating and they don't sweat the details. Well, my own sense of time isn't bad so I shouldn't worry about it either.

"Dinner's over, so kindly get out."

At least I picked the right type of inn. No fake politeness here.

A bit too tired to go out tonight, I'll do that homework I've been putting off: bonus point allocation. Whipping out my little wax notepad, I start jotting down notes while fiddling with several of my bonus skills. Most were just simple toggles of off or on, but others had levels that I could control through point allocation, not experience.

An important and easy-to-verify change was for my bonus weapon. Starting from level 1, costs: 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, and ending at 63 bonus points for my level 6 weapon, Durandal. Well, this is just a geometric series on two, which simplifies to 2ⁿ - 1. One less than a power of two is easy for a low-level programmer to remember.

Weapon: Durandal

  Lvl   Cost   Tot
  ---   ----   ---
    1      1     1
    2      2     3
    3      4     7
    4      8    15
    5     16    31
    6     32    63

My EXP, crystal, and probably every skill with levels seem to use the same point progression — really nice. My on/off skills seem to just cost one point each, though I haven't checked them all. Some of these are more powerful than the costly, leveled skills — it's not like I'm going to complain, or that my complaints would be relevant anyway. I can't or at least won't drop [Reset Character] since that would probably lock me out of any other changes forever.

From the very beginning of the manga, there was some special point about him starting out with 99 bonus points. I don't remember my exact starting configuration, but it looks like I got the same. It's also likely that I'm gaining one point for each additional level of the job in first position, i.e., level minus one.

I'll obviously keep Durandal, at least for now. For experience gains, I have [Decrease Level Up EXP] set to 1/5 and [Increase EXP Gained] set to 5. They cost 15 points each and effectively give me 25x progress. Bumping one of them to the next level would cost 16 points so I'd have to drop the other skill, pay an extra point and only get 10x progress instead of 25x. So, an obvious 'No'.

For other on/off toggles, I have [Identify] and [Job Setting] — the latter is so I can quickly switch to Monk for healing.

My level 2 [Accessory] (the ring) and my third Job cost 3 points each, which leaves me with 2 points unallocated. Level 2 is too low to be useful so I'll drop the ring, open a fourth Job slot and throw the last point into the first level of [Crystal Acceleration]. I'll set Monk as my job and leave [Job Setting] switched on for convenience.

Whenever I want to maximize [Haggle], I need to find 63 points either from swapping out Durandal or dropping both EXP skills and my extra jobs.

After all this effort, I'd better record my settings on actual paper:

Bonus Points: 104

  Lvl   Cost   Skill         Note     
  ---   ----   -----------   ---------
         1     Reset Char    essential
         1     Job Setting   keep     
         1     Identify      keep     
   4     15    EXP Needed    1/5      
   4     15    EXP Gained    5x       
   6     63    Weapon        Durandal 
               Accessory     skip     
   3     7     Extra Jobs    4 jobs   
   1     1     Crystal Acc   2x       
               Chant Omit    later    
               Haggle        ad hoc   

Really should have done this earlier, but I guess it's more useful now that I have enough points to move around. With that, I'm totally exhausted and fall asleep while counting alternative bonus-skill configurations.

Day 7

My current cash-on-hand exceeds 450k Nars. There's no way I want to count the exact amount. If I reallocate my bonus points to crystal growth and work really hard, I could probably squeeze out 6k/day. Of course, I don't want to do that, but it'd be possible if needed. Considering that my basic daily expenses don't even reach 500 Nars, I can be much more relaxed regarding money. Heck, I'd even be fine getting robbed, at least financially.

After breakfast, I bathe and go to Vale's first level. Sort of boring, but still useful. I eat a light lunch and return for more fighting on the same floor. Yep, I can just keep up this cycle as a safe, solo player. Eat dinner, clean up and warp to Tuuli. OK, this part is better, much better, but not enough of a strategy if she's keeping me at a distance.

Bored with the rest of my day, I put more effort into teaching Tuuli. I've had more than enough formal education to organize the information for her. This is certainly good for Tuuli and as her English improves, I like that we can communicate better.

I also plan to eventually learn one of the local languages and will ask Tuuli to help. Besides being able to talk to other people, it could be really good to establish some sort of plausible backstory in case anyone in authority gets too interested in me. Even if I don't become fluent, knowing enough to claim to use a different dialect might be enough in an emergency.

My routine of working every day and keeping semi-regular visits to Tuuli has convinced me that I can make it as a solo player in the labyrinths. I'm fine alone.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Moral Relativism

Day 8

Comfortable in the fact that I don't need slaves to survive here, I head off to Alan's slave shop. Maybe this is an I-can-quit-anytime situation, but just because I can make it on my own doesn't mean that I have to. With a relaxed attitude, I decide to just take a look around and maybe browse through the discount bin... ugh, that's not a good analogy when dealing with real people.

"Good morning, Mr. Moreau. Happy to see you've come back. Are you seeking a new partner?"

"Yes, Alan, I am. This time, I need a thoroughly dependable colleague to accompany me to the labyrinth."

"Good choice. We're sure to have just the right slave for you. Female, I presume?"

"No, too many complications. I'll try a male slave this time. Someone strong and capable." (And maybe fewer expectations.)

"Oh? Ah, yes. I understand. I'll find a good man for you."

"Um, for the labyrinths..."

"Of course. He'll be ready for anything you might need."

"...just the labyrinths."

"Discretion above all else, I assure you."

Dude, you've got a one-track mind, which probably works for the vast majority of his clientele. There's no way to get past his assumptions at this point, but honestly, why bother? "Sure, lead the way."

Already filtered by language and fighting ability, I found several reasonable candidates. I chose three to speak to individually.

The first guy was a 25-year-old, level 18 Warrior, who looked strong, but a bit on the heavy side (maybe 90+).

The next was a 17-year-old, level 14 Swordsman. He appeared lean and muscular, but... he kept staring at me. At first, I thought he was just showing keen resolve, but it's starting to feel like flirtation — just what the hell did Alan tell these guys?

The third was a 23-year-old, level 17 Swordsman. A bit thin and wiry and probably quite quick on his feet. All three of them were nearly my height, which seemed to be the standard for Alan's male, combat-oriented slaves.

Anyway, I had no doubt that any of these guys would be immediately helpful in the labyrinths. The first and third are debt slaves and evidently know each other. The second guy... actually, I don't care. Sorry, but I don't need more drama.

I was about to pick the first guy as a tank when Alan interjected, "Mr. Moreau, if you'll excuse the impertinence, do you think you'd be able to accommodate two men?"

"Um, say what?"

Pointing to the first and third, "These two slaves have a strong wish to remain together. So much so, that they resist attempts to find places for them individually. I'm willing to offer a considerable discount if you're able to accept the pair. They would normally be at least 200,000 each, but I'm willing to reduce the cost of the second by half."

"Certainly unexpected, but it's a possibility. I'd like to speak to the two of them together."

The three of us sat down and Alan left the room. I could easily afford both since dudes are cheap in a world with slave-girl harems. The issue, of course, will be group dynamics. I don't want to violate their personal privacy, but I need to know what's going on. So, how will I be able to put this delicately?

"Marcus, Theo, are you two a couple?"

The elder, Marcus, replied, "Um, yes, Sir, but we're prepared to accommodate..."

"Thanks, but that's not why I'm asking. Your reactions suggest that the relationship is mutual and steady. I need dependable vanguards willing and able to join me in the labyrinths. Your private lives will otherwise be your own. In particular, I have no need for servants or attendants of any kind."

"Really? Well, that'd be great. Couldn't ask for more. I was sure that..."

"Also, I may eventually add women to the party. Would that be a problem for either of you?"

"No, Sir, not at all. We get along with women just fine. Both of us have sisters and all. We just don't, you know."

"Perfect. I'd like to avoid such conflicts within the party."

Theo confirmed, "Absolutely not an issue with us."

"Well, as long as your personal relationship doesn't interfere with the party, I'll be happy to accept the two of you."

Now that the interview was over, they left and were soon replaced by the slave merchant. Making certain that my trade cheat was cranked up, I announced, "Alan, they seem like fine additions to my party. I'll take both."

"Good, good. As a special thanks for accepting these special conditions, the total will be 210,000 Nars."

"Perfect. I happen to have that much with me right now." (As well as over 300k more.)

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Moreau."

We went through the now-routine ceremony, with no mention of release on master's death or other such bleeding-heart foolishness. One little attempted murder was evidently enough to overturn my morals.

Then came the reading of the EULA: Care and Feeding of Your New Slave. I must've heard it when I got Tessa, but it's just like any other fine-print — completely ignorable.

I avoided showing my card to the new guys, not that they cared. Honestly, they looked as pleased as can be. Frankly, so was I. Two slaves who won't pursue me or our future party members was better than I could've expected. Funny that it was Alan's misunderstanding that led to this fantastic outcome.

I should feel guilty or at least uncomfortable about buying slaves, again, but somehow, I'm perfectly fine with it. I'll just be their employer... actually, that's pretty much true and not just some self-delusional rationalization. In comparison to buying young women, getting these guys is practically respectable — picking the lesser of two heinous acts is certainly a virtue.

As we walked out of the slave house, I spotted some creepy guy skulking in the alley across the road. He was actually pretty easy to spot, just staring at me like that. Hmm, a low-level Bandit who seems to recognize me, certainly from one of my recent social engagements.

This... this is wonderful! A golden opportunity. My level is high enough. I have the guys here for support in case it goes bad (as long as I survive). I can do this. I must do this. I'm doing this.

I pulled out the pair of shoes I brought with me and took off my own. "Guys, go ahead and wear these. I think I recognize that guy, but he might feel intimidated around you two. I'll be right back."

Don't know if it'll help, but I quickly swapped out my trade cheats to bump up my INT and SPI stats. I checked that my recovery pills were handy and walked towards my old pal while calling out, "Hey, were you friends with Hugo?"

Possibly not understanding the details of what I said, but my appearance and shouting the name Hugo seemed to be enough for him to determine exactly who I was.

With apparently no regard to the surroundings or his own safety, the Bandit drew his sword and ran towards me while screaming something unpleasant-sounding in Valic, I assume.

Still smiling, I waited until he approached within five meters. Ensuring that no one else was nearer, I silently cast my insanely risky Equivalent Exchange, the same spell that the former protagonist had used.

With no warning, the target instantaneously reduced to little more than a red fog. Nothing substantial was left besides his sword and armor, which continued to move forward with their remaining momentum.

As spectacular as the event appeared, the effect wasn't any louder than a popping water balloon. Only the clanging of the fallen sword and armor broke the relative silence... until the bystanders started screaming. Good to know they aren't that jaded.

Spattered with blood, I fell to my knees. Fortunately, it seemed to be all his, not my own. I quickly downed a couple recovery pills and closed my eyes to try to stop the spinning. Not even having to fake my disorientation, I asked no one in particular, "What the hell just happened?"

Marcus and Theo came running over. Marcus kept an eye out for other threats and Theo checked me for injuries. Damn, these guys are great — like an experienced security detail. Sorry to worry them (especially with the master's death clause in the slave contract), but this was a fantastic fire drill. I managed to find a couple keepers.

Barely a minute later, Alan came out to check on the commotion, probably alerted by his doorman.

"Oh dear, Mr. Moreau, were you involved in this? What happened here?"

"It was all so sudden. I thought I recognized someone and then... Poof! Blood everywhere. I'm still a bit dazed. Marcus, did you see what happened?"

"Yes, Sir. As soon as Master started talking to him, the guy flew into a mad rage. He screamed something like 'You killed him', and just a moment later, the guy simply exploded. I've never seen anything quite like it before."

"Well, sounds like this villain attacked with full intent to kill you, even at his own peril. But thankfully, he fumbled. Do you know who he was?"

"Not certain, but he may have been connected to the brigands I fought recently."

"Odd for such a man to have such a terrible device, but makes sense if it was a personal matter. Regardless, I'm pleased that you managed to survive such a ruthless attack."

I really don't know if Alan actually believed that a lowly thug had an Orb of Self-destruction or if he was simply covering for me. For all I know, Alan could have the same skill as I do so recognizes the blast pattern. Either way, I felt confident that he would take the side of a paying customer rather than that of some unknown smudge on the street.

"Thanks. I'd better go clean up and get some rest."

A couple of Alan's servants came out with buckets and brooms to clear the street. They certainly wouldn't want a mess like this in front of their fine establishment.

"Master, I'm so sorry we failed you. It was just so sudden."

"No, there's nothing to forgive because nothing could have been done. Besides, you're not meant to be my bodyguards outside of the labyrinths. This was simply a freak occurrence. Hopefully never to happen again."

Thankfully, the after-effects weren't nearly as bad as I had feared. All that grinding has really paid off. The guys helped me to a nearby well and dumped a few buckets of cold water over my head. I sat down on a bench and sent Theo to fetch a few meat-skewers for us while Marcus kept watch.

I closed my eyes and checked my stats — the cherished Mage job has appeared. I quickly activated it in place of Monk. Ah, it's finally here. I'd like to try it out immediately, but recovery comes first.

(Thanks for your sacrifice, you murderous little thug.) Of course, I don't expect he'd be pleased to receive my thanks. In all honesty, his rage was completely understandable and possibly even justified, but the Bandit job isn't given to good guys. At least, I hope not. My working theory is that Bandits are Thieves who've used physical violence or even murder in their crimes.

Still, I wish I could have asked this guy something that had been bothering me for a while: Why would Hugo attack a farming village at dawn? Isn't that when farmers are most prepared? Don't most violent criminals work at night? It would seem that dawn should be about their worst time. Unfortunately, I just killed what may have been the last person who could tell me.

After recovering and drying off a bit, we made our way to the inn while I tried to avoid the sharper stones. I'd never bothered to move out of my double room so I gave it to the guys and reserved a single for myself — I may be open-minded, but not quite enough to share a room with a couple. Well, if they were girls... better not go there. Hmm, I should pay a visit to Tuuli tonight.

I changed into dry clothes and asked the guys to pick out whatever weapons they wanted from the large pile I'd collected. I gave them Tessa's and Tuuli's barely-used, magically auto-fitting armor (without telling them the source), gloves and leather helmets. I put on my spare boots and armor while they were still sifting through the swords.

While waiting, I decided to check what we've got to deal with here. I added them to my party and sifted through their lists of available jobs. Their current jobs were good for now, but Marcus could eventually be switched to Knight. Good that neither of them had criminal jobs though I would have overlooked simple thievery.

"Guys, if you have everything you need, let's take a quick trip to the labyrinth."

"Really, Boss? Are you sure you're alright?"

"Theo, you fool, call him 'Master'."

"Nah, I prefer 'Boss' — it's less creepy. Anyway, thanks for your concern, but I've rested long enough. Let's go."

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Sharing Secrets

I handed the guys magic crystals and said, "We'll take it pretty easy today, just a bit of a warm-up before going out to get supplies. I know you guys are experienced fighters, but let's start by taking turns against some trees."

"Trees?"

"Um, Needlewoods, I guess." At least, that's what the little HUD says. "Marcus, you're up."

As expected of someone who leveled up the natural way, the weak monsters were brought down with ease. Marcus defended with a small shield and wielded a long-sword with well-timed, but heavy strokes. Might need to upgrade his equipment soon.

"No challenge, as expected. Theo, you're next. I see one about 30 meters ahead."

"Yep, I see it."

Are meters actually used here? Maybe it's from translation or it was obvious from context since there are no other trees in the vicinity.

Theo was quick and agile, as expected. His small shield seemed to be an afterthought since attacks were usually dodged. His short-sword attacks were accurate and effective. Basically, this is what real swordsmanship looks like. His light equipment seems about right for him.

"Great. You both clearly show your experience and skill, just as I hoped. We should talk about configuration options, but first, it's my turn to demonstrate since you'll need to know what I can do too."

I thought about casting a 'fireball'. Soon, the chant came to mind — thankfully in fancy English rather than Japanese or Latin. Actually, even the name 'fireball' was a naïve assumption that paid off. Well, messing up during practice would certainly be better than failing when it really counted. Besides, I had no reason to act cool in front of employees.

But now comes the real test. I focused on the spell and pulled out the wand hidden behind my back. Pointing at the approaching tree, I spoke the chant aloud and fired off a fireball: boom. Yes!! That was so cool!

Marcus exclaimed, "Boss! You're a Mage? I assumed you'd be a regular adventurer or fighter. This is fantastic!"

Just barely suppressing the urge to shout like an idiot, I saw that the tree was still moving. I seemed to have enough mana so I fired off a couple more shots to finish it off. I should now be able to use single, multi and wall forms of the basic elements. I'll check the actual names later, but this ability almost, no, this actually makes up for getting abducted.

"Yes! Um, I mean, yes, I recently obtained the Mage job. I'll need the two of you to protect me while I get used to it."

"Of course, you can depend on us. Now I see why you accepted a two-man vanguard despite having a sword."

"Actually, I have more experience with a sword, so it's only fair to show you this as well."

I considered keeping my OP sword a secret, but that'd be too great of an inconvenience. To use my new Mage job effectively, I'll need Durandal's MP-absorption ability to recover my mana, especially while my level is low. Since that'd be impossible to do discreetly, it's better to rip off the bandage now. I reallocated bonus points to be able to call Durandal and attacked the next tree we encountered. Having no reason to hold back, I took it down in a single, broad stroke.

Theo tilted his head in disbelief and Marcus blurted out, "Just what in the hell was that?! Um, sorry, Boss, Sir."

"Ha ha, perfectly natural to be surprised. This is in fact an heirloom sword." (Well, the name Durandal does come from French legends.) "The power behind my attack is thanks to the sword — my modest skills are nowhere near yours."

"Um, but, how did it... your other sword is still at your waist."

"You could say that this sword truly belongs to me since I can make it appear at will." They'll see me do it eventually so might as well tell them the truth — with a little extra flair to make it believable.

My attack magic had been a surprise, but now they just stood there in stunned silence.

"As you might expect, this is an even greater secret than my magic. I generally prefer to avoid any special attention. Since magic is usually just for nobles, revealing it makes people look too closely at me. This sword and my other skills are absolute secrets."

Still a bit shaken, Marcus managed to nod in confirmation, but Theo asked, "Other skills?"

"Yes, I have a few thanks to my particular heritage, but nothing else is as flashy as this sword."

I drew the steel sword and placed it into my Explorer's Item Box so I could place Durandal into its custom scabbard. Already staring directly at me, this little action didn't go unnoticed.

"Yes, what you just saw was one of those other, special abilities. I retain some skills from my previous jobs."

Unable to contain his intellectual curiosity, Theo asks, "And what other amazing skills do you have?"

Marcus admonishes, "Theo, you can't ask that!"

"Ha ha, well, it's fine to ask, but I won't reveal all of my secrets. Instead, I will let you know everything you need to know... and I hope that you'll do the same for me."

"Of course."
"Yes, Sir."

"So, can either of you do any special tricks, like, breathe fire?"

"Boss?"

"Just kidding, though that'd be really cool. By the way, I feel that we should follow Marcus' discretion in public, but Theo's directness is good in the labyrinths or private discussions. In particular, if you have a problem or serious concern, I want you to talk to me about it. Don't let things fester just because the question seems impolite... as long as you know that I still might not answer."

Yep, don't want another Tessa incident. I shouldn't get too complacent, but these guys already feel like regular teammates. Still, this is just a comfortable level of trust, not deep friendship. I'll wait a while before showing my warp skill and I should probably keep job-list editing to myself. Showing one of my own extra-job skills was a bit risky, but Item Box is too convenient. Claiming that these extra abilities are connected to old jobs also allows some flexibility when introducing other oddities later on.

We continued to plow through the first floor, taking turns as we went. Strategies like defensive positions weren't needed here. The usually quiet Theo braved another question when it was Marcus' turn to fight trees, "Um, Boss? Did you happen to know that the attacker was going to, um, burst apart like that?"

Crap, he noticed something either during the event or maybe afterwards... yep, I was way too calm. Trying to curb my excitement of soon being able to use magic just made me look suspicious. Oh well.

Theo deserves a better response than "none of your business, slave." I could lie, but I probably wouldn't be believed and that would backfire if I ever needed to use this ability again. I have no obligation to share or to even be honest, but keeping too much distance doesn't help me either.

"Actually yes, I did know... because I was the one who made it happen. It's a very risky and painful skill, but I can do it when necessary."

"Oh... I see."

"Of course, I already recognized him as a Bandit. Calling out to him was both a way to confirm his intent and to let him know that I recognized him. If he got away, he could alert other criminals so they could set up an ambush."

Theo simply declared, "Those scum deserve no mercy." After a long pause, he added, "And I'm starting to understand why you need to keep secrets." Well, that sure sounded ominous, but it should be fine as long as he doesn't start gathering kindling for a bonfire.

We eventually reached the floor boss where we finally got in a few hits together. I casually asked Theo to fetch the drop so we'd have the option of setting his job to Herbalist later on... possibly even with his permission. Instead of continuing with the second floor, we returned back to the inn — we'd already strayed well past a quick warm-up.

"Hey Marcus, want to switch to the steel sword I was using? I don't really need it anymore."

"Well, sure. I'll gladly take it, if you don't mind."

"Would either of you rather use a different weapon than what we have here? An axe, spear, whatever?"

"Nah, these swords are good, but, since you're asking, and you said to speak freely, I wouldn't mind eventually getting a bigger shield."

"Sure, no problem. Go ahead and bundle up the swords you don't want and we'll go sell them before we go shopping."

At the armory, we picked out a medium-sized, steel shield for Marcus — not cheap, but worth it for my vanguard. Of course, I picked one with open skill slots. I told them that we'd hold off for a bit before getting our main armor upgraded.

The weapons merchant glanced at the scabbard he made for me, but, of course, didn't mention it. He also didn't ask why I was selling so many swords again though he'd probably guess correctly. Hope he thinks I'm a bounty hunter rather than a hit-man though both sound better than serial-killer.

Finally, I had the guys pick out what they needed from the general store. After a casual nod, they understood that I'd approve of any reasonable requests. It all added up, but I still had plenty on hand after paying for these guys. With full backpacks, we went back to the inn to offload.

"I'm going to the river to wash up. Want to come along?"

"Uh, sure. That'd be great."

We walked over to my usual spot, which was practically empty this late in the day.

"Boss, are we really allowed to bathe here?"

"I don't know, but no one's come to complain so far and I don't see any signs saying that we can't." (Not that I'd be able to read them.)

I skipped washing my hair this time, but it still felt nice to clean up before dinner. We walked back, changed and ate at the inn.

"Unless agreed in advance, we'll meet down here within an hour after sunrise. I'd rather not have to go wake you up."

"No problem, Boss. Anything less would be unacceptable."

"Also, outside of a real emergency, I won't disturb you after you go back to your room. If you come to me, it'd better be pretty important."

"Um... thanks."

Felt a bit weird to be acting like their parent, but technically, it's almost like I am. Presumably, if they damage something, I'd be held responsible, at least financially. This heavily stratified society seems oddly stable and I have yet to find an abused or even dissatisfied slave. So, it's yet another aspect of this world that feels completely artificial.

I don't know if I could ever accept this strict hierarchy as good, but it certainly could be worse. In particular, Marcus and Theo probably assume that I'm something like a noble. Of course, I leaned into that a bit for my own advantage. I'm not perfectly comfortable with the expectations of my perceived status, but being the boss does make things easier.

I grabbed my crap from their room and relocated to my new single. I made sure to leave a little money with them so they could get hot water, lamp oil, etc, but not enough for them to sneak off to a bar. Maybe I'm even stricter than a normal parent, but I don't really know them yet.

Just leaving my junk in a pile, I warped over to Tuuli's. The warp already felt notably easier than before. Tuuli seemed to have been waiting for me, but not angry. Wonderful.

This time, we practiced some clumsy language training by lantern-light. She tried to teach me some basic phrases in the local language, but I found them almost impossible to reproduce let alone understand. Anyway, it was better to concentrate on teaching her since she'll benefit more than I will. It'll probably take a long time before either of us reaches fluency, but the process is quite fun.

In some ways, our current relationship is a limited, but much less disruptive version of the original deal of teaching her the privileged language. She doesn't work for me and I don't support her financially, but I enjoy the other aspects of our relationship. Of course, that part of the deal seemed to have been assumed by everyone else from the start.

In a sweet voice, Tuuli calls out, "Tsu-tsu."

Ah, that I understand — time for bed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: Routine

Day 9

The guys came down to breakfast soon after me. After a little small talk about where they're from — completely unfamiliar places, soon forgotten — I told them that it'd be a simple day of progressing through the floors. I really wanted to gain a few more levels of my Mage job so I redistributed my bonus points to increase EXP, both for myself and my team.

We went to Vale's Labyrinth and started with the second floor. The guys already ignored the fact that I could casually use other skills and I didn't even pretend to chant in front of them. We breezed through till midday, stopped for a light lunch, finished the second floor and even part of the third by evening. We made such good progress by jogging between encounters. Long day but little challenge. Marcus got a few scratches, which I quietly healed by briefly switching to my Monk job. I'm sure he noticed, but neither of us acknowledged it. These guys are great. No need to sweat the small stuff... like my game-breaking and presumably unique skills.

We ate dinner and went to our rooms. To help get a feel for how far I might be able to warp, I made several round trips from my room to the labyrinth without resting. Pretty short distance but I couldn't really feel it. I even popped over to the forest outside the village a couple times. It was nice that just a few levels of Mage (and Hero) were so helpful. It's not too long before I could do a real test.

Tired but not sleepy, I started looking through my skills and saw that I had unlocked the Tutor job. Never heard of that one, but I guess it makes sense. Didn't get it while simply translating so it probably got triggered after I started to structure the lessons. Guess I have yet another career to fall back on.

Day 10

Basically the same pattern, but we continued from where we had stopped on the third floor. By evening, we managed to finish the fourth. We ended a bit early, so I left the guys at the inn before warping over to the adventurer's guild to sell off the pile of drops we'd gathered over the last couple of days.

Walking outside to get back to the inn for dinner, I noticed a few thugs loitering around the area. Seemed odd in this neighborhood, but I guess they have business to take care of too. As I passed, one spoke to me in Valic, ‹typical-greeting›.

I replied in Valic with, ‹generic-response›. Don't actually know what either phrase means, but Tuuli had me memorize them. My response was the one that was easiest for me to pronounce, especially with a non-committal mumble. The greeter walked back to one of the others and sort of shook his head — which hopefully meant the same thing here as it did back home.

That was almost certainly a test and it looks like I passed... this time. They're probably checking everyone with my general description and seem motivated enough to even do it out here. Well, might be time to leave town since there aren't many tall guys to check before they start second-round interviews. Thankfully, the last few days of working on my Mage job seem to be enough to replace what would probably have taken years of honest effort.

I walked back to the inn with at least one Thief tagging along to see where I was going. Don't think that they'll try a frontal attack so I ate dinner with the guys as usual. Afterwards, we walked up to their room for a quick chat.

"Seems like some bad guys are watching me. Even if they're still uncertain, it won't take them long to confirm that I'm the one they want. So, we should leave town in the morning."

"Shouldn't we fight back?"

"Nah, too many of them and if they really get serious, it'll be a total mess."

"If it's that bad, you should stay with us, Boss."

"I'd do that if necessary, but with the knight's order so close, a direct attack on this inn would be insane — there's no way I'm that important to them. Anyway, I have a plan to shake them off our trail."

"OK, we'll be ready, Boss."

"And when things cool down, I'll come back and clean up."

"..."

"Well, goodnight, see you tomorrow at breakfast. May as well block your door, just in case."

I went back to my room, cleaned up and warped over to Tuuli. I really wanted to tell her how her lessons helped buy me time, but we were far from that level of linguistic complexity. I think the Valic name for the privileged language is 'Raami', with a rolled r, but that could just be what she calls our relationship. With the risk of accidentally asking if someone knows 'friends-with-benefits', I'll stick with calling this 'English' for now.

I activated my Tutor job and we dove into English practice (not the other stuff). It wasn't like I suddenly came up with better explanations, but Tuuli's comprehension and retention seemed to improve dramatically. She was already picking up the language much faster than I thought possible considering how absurdly foreign it must feel (judging by my impression of Valic). Even just studying a few evenings a week, Tuuli might reach practical proficiency in a month.

Day 11

Our time together already felt quite comfortable. Maybe it's this dangerous world that encourages fast intimacy. After a light breakfast, I warped back to my room to find everything still in place — I hadn't left anything valuable anyway. Ate a second breakfast at the inn with the guys, cleared out our rooms and left for the labyrinth.

I was happy to see that the guys didn't seem particularly concerned that we were being watched as we left the inn. Our pursuers weren't close enough to attack, but I could identify a few other thugs along the way and even a couple trying to act nonchalant near the labyrinth entrance. Sure looks like they've confirmed my identity and are more than a little interested. I made certain that we were easy to follow and that they saw us enter.

Once inside and around the first corner, I quickly opened a portal to the second floor of Curatar's Labyrinth. I don't know if the thugs had squads ready to attack us inside Vale's Labyrinth or if they'd wait till we got out. Either way, there's no way they'd expect that we could leave without being seen. As long as we stay away from Vale, they'd probably assume that we met our doom.

I was ready for the pain of the long warp to hit me, but it never came. Sure, I felt tired, but it wasn't so bad really. Now I could warp long distances with others in tow without difficulty. This was a fantastic step towards becoming untouchable. As long as I don't do anything too stupid or suffer some random accident, I was well on my way to ensuring a reasonable level of safety. Now, I'll drop my EXP cheats and switch over to crystal growth to quickly earn more money.

"Guys, we should be safe now."

"Maybe they've set-up an ambush."

"True, but that'd be back in Vale. We're now in Curatar's Labyrinth."

"Boss?"

"As you know, one kind of movement magic only works inside the labyrinth and the other only works outside. But I can sort of... combine them. So, here we are, in Curatar's Labyrinth, where no one in their right-mind would think to look for us."

"But, Boss, that's... that's..."

"Wonderful, right Marcus?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I was trying to say. Thanks, Theo."

"Good, glad you understand. Well, it'll look weird to leave this labyrinth so early in the morning so let's stay here till midday. We'll just have to manage with our extra stuff till we can get to an inn. Also, I don't want to make it so obvious that I'm a Mage with so many people around so I'll use my sword till it thins out."

I had warped us to a spot fairly late on the second-floor so we casually fought kobolds and olive trees till we reached the line for the boss room. It'll be safe to dump our extra gear to fight in there since no one else could enter before we're done. We easily defeated the, um, [Palm Baum] — another German monster name, huh. I guess that happened in the manga too so it shouldn't be an indication that merchants will suddenly start speaking German.

We continued to the third floor and the first monster we saw was a spider the size of an Alaskan Malamute. Nah, not something I want to deal with while over-encumbered. We've been in here long enough. Time to find an inn and maybe grab an early lunch.

I warped us down to the first floor and we walked out of the labyrinth through the normal exit. I suspect that the guys may have had some lingering doubts about the wild warp from Vale, despite the change in monster types, but walking out to the center of a different city should pretty much settle it.

As far as I could tell, the guys haven't started to think of me as some sort of dangerous monster, but it should be abundantly clear that it'd be bad to have me as an enemy — ignoring the slavery issue. With just my currently moderate stats, anyone with an OP sword who can teleport at will is not a person to piss off.

Of course, this strength is also my main weakness — if powerful people knew what I could do, it would be negligent of them to allow me to walk around freely... not that they'd ever manage to make a second attempt if they failed to get me. Almost sounds like my dark path of chaos isn't completely off the table.

Anyway, we found a nearby inn to drop off our extra junk. Two rooms, just like last time. But this inn is hopefully just short-term. These guys aren't my ideal housemates, but renting would be better long-term. While munching on meat-skewers — even better than Vale's this time — I talked to the guys about an important topic:

"Do either of you know how to cook? I can to some extent, but I don't want to take care of all of it."

"Yes. As long as it's not too fancy, I can cook and Marcus can help."

"Good, because I'm thinking of renting a house in the outskirts of this city. Might eventually get a dedicated housekeeper, but it'd be good if we could take care of the basics for now."

"Oh, that sounds nice."

"Depends on the price, of course. I want to find a place big enough for my bedroom to be far from yours... no offense."

"Ha ha, none taken. Um, Boss, so, our relationship really doesn't bother you?"

"Nope. Well, as long as you don't start doing private stuff in front of me, but same would apply for a male/female couple."

"Understood. Thanks, Boss. Really."

"Yeah, yeah, you know it's not that I'm nice, it's just that I don't really care what other people do as long as no one gets hurt. Anyway, let's get back to work."

We went back to the rooms to get our gear, but I told them that we'd meet up in their room rather than downstairs.

"The labyrinth here has an entrance fee and often takes a long time to get in. I oppose the fact that they charge to enter, but mainly I'm too impatient to wait in line. I haven't seen any fare inspectors yet anyway."

Not sure I explained that last part right, but decided to just continue.

"The first floor is full of first-timers so it's just a bother overall. So, I'll open a door here so we can bypass all that and enter directly to the third."

"Um, won't other people see that?"

"Looks just like an Explorer's skill to anyone else, but good to ask. You saw that the new monster on the third is a spider and there's a small chance of getting poisoned... or maybe that's just the ants. Regardless, keep these antidote pills with you. Remember that someone poisoned will probably need help taking them."

We continued from the start of the spider-infested third floor and made it all the way to the waiting area in front of the boss room. But, it'd gotten late by then and with so many parties ahead of us, this felt like a good place to stop. I checked my crystal and found that it'd turned green. Cool, that's an easy 10k. I warped us back to the guys room.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: House

We came back from Curatar's Labyrinth a bit early so I decided to do some chores. The guys had worked hard and deserved to rest — I'm no slave driver after all.

"Hey guys, give me your sacks and I'll go cash in the drops. Meet you downstairs for dinner a bit later."

I warped to the adventurer's guild, sold the crystal and drops with my trade cheat active, just to squeeze out even more Nars. I also bought a few empty crystals so I could swap them as soon as I see one change to a target color.

With still a bit of time before dinner, I warped to the Vale labyrinth, hacked a few trees and walked out the front like it was perfectly natural. A few thugs were not-so-casually loitering nearby.

Making sure I was heard, I called back to the entrance, "Hey guys, let's go... Ha ha, right, they can't hear me out here".

I walked back inside and quickly opened a portal back to my room at the inn. Originally, my intention was to make the bad guys believe that I had probably died in the labyrinth. That'd be a perfectly reasonable conclusion if they could feel confident that I hadn't slipped past them.

Now that they have actually seen me walk out, they would know I was still here. With this certainty, they are likely to put even more effort into catching me either inside or when I eventually try to leave. The gangs would waste resources, grow impatient and begin to doubt whether I'm really worth all this effort. All I have to do is occasionally peek out and look for my shadow.

Back in my room with the warm and fuzzy feeling of bringing my enemies grief, I went downstairs to join the guys for dinner. After a bit of light exercise alone on the second floor of Curatar's labyrinth, I went to bed rather pleased with myself.

Day 12

Since we were planning to go to Curatar's Labyrinth today, I started to copy the maps for the next floors into my notebook when I realized that I'd never need any map after finishing its floor. At 20 Nar each, I could just give them away or use them for scratch paper. Happy with the minutes I'd saved, I went down to breakfast a bit early... and waited till they opened.

"Morning, guys, we'll start with the third-floor boss room. I don't think that there's anything special about the boss spider, but you have your antidote pills, just in case."

After breakfast, we met in their room and warped in close to where we left off yesterday. After a short wait, we fought the barely-tougher spider and progressed to the fourth floor. Here, we encountered very un-sheepish sheep. Monsters could now attack in groups of three — it would be interesting to see if the group size increases again at the sixth or the eighth floor.

Other parties could be heard nearby, but it was empty enough for the map to be helpful. Still too crowded to use magic consistently, but I fired off a few multi-target shots now and then. This floor wasn't quite trivial like earlier so we walked more than jogged. We got pretty far before lunch, but not quite to the next boss room before it was time for a break. I warped us back to the guys' room at the inn.

I announced, "I'm going to take off for a couple hours to look for a better place to live. Here's some money for lunch or whatever and I'll come find you in town when I'm done. I don't care what you do while I'm away as long as it isn't a crime or anything too risky."

I gave them a few silvers each and took off before they had a chance to respond. It's certainly possible to rent a house in this town, but I should be able to get something bigger and cheaper in a smaller town. Besides, there's sure to be thugs here that know the ones in Vale. I may not have reached enemy-number-one status, but a little extra caution wouldn't hurt. I made sure that I had my writing materials and headed off to the adventurer's guild.

Walking up to a bored-looking Adventurer, "Hey, know of any quiet little towns or villages in the area? I'm looking for a place big enough that they'll let an outsider rent a house, but too small to have slums or brigand hide-outs nearby."

"That's a rather odd request and frankly a bit suspicious. You wouldn't be looking to start doing some crime yourself, would you?"

"Ha ha, I guess that did sound pretty weird. Nah, I just can't afford a house in a big city, but need more space than a room at the inn. Anyway, a good crime-boss should already know the area."

"Yeah, you got a point. Well, there's a town called 'Callum' near here. It's pretty close to the village I grew up in. It's big enough for a few stores, but only a small merchant's guild and not much else."

"Sounds good. I'll give you five silvers to take me there. That includes my thanks for the recommendation. I'll get back on my own."

Just as advertised, Callum appeared to be a pleasant, little town. Some produce markets and a general store, but little in terms of infrastructure. There were some fenced areas, but probably just to keep out the smaller animals. I saw a few town guards, but nothing that looked like a knight's station.

The receptionist at the small merchant's guild told me that Callum is mainly a farming community, but also acts as a small trading hub for some rural routes. The merchant's guild handles most of the real estate business in the area, but the person in charge of that is out of town.

Satisfied that Callum would be a good location, I warped back to Curatar's adventurer's guild and went out to find Marcus and Theo while munching on the meat-skewer I got along the way.

The guys were near the labyrinth so we continued on the fourth floor and soon reached the boss' room.

"I think the boss-sheep has a spell to stun, but my sword has [Chant Interruption] so I might suddenly rush forward to stop it."

With our unfair three-on-one attack, we managed to slay the boss before it could cast a spell.

The fifth floor introduced a lollipop-shaped monster, but I could't say that out loud, even if it had a hard head like a sucker. I really don't remember all the silly names from the manga (as opposed to the silly names I make up), but the HUD called it a 'Collagen Coral'. That might just be a bad translation, but I guess it's supposed to be softer than normal coral as a low-level variant. Maybe it would progress like:

Collagen Coral -> Keratin Coral -> Coral Coral -> Crystal Coral.

Not sure how many boss levels there would be, but I've locked in my predictions. Now I need to find a way to gain elevated privileges so I can start editing monster names... but not to cheat.

Despite having my full attention on fighting, it was time to stop before reaching the lollipop-king, or whatever boss will be called. I opened a portal back to the inn so we could have dinner.

"Guys, I visited a nearby town that looks like a good place to live. Want to go check it out with me tomorrow morning?"

"Sure, that sounds nice. Don't know if we could be any help though."

"Well, I hope to make that our base for a while so good if you two see it before deciding."

Keeping to my now regular schedule, I warped over to Tuuli's hut after dinner. I'd really like her to come with us to Callum, but I'll wait till we've found a good place to stay and make it look inviting — prep the nest. Of course, she might prefer to stay here in the village and there's got to be some reason I'm being kept a secret, but I'll leave that up to her.

"Hello, Tavi. Nice you again see."

"« Kiva », um... never mind. Hey, Tuuli. Good English!"

"Englisi? What is englisi?"

"Sorry, I meant 'Blaïm'."

"We speak now 'Raami'."

"Right, that's what this is called in your language."

"No, we say « kir■■n ki■■li »."

Well, that settles it, I'm giving up on learning Valic. It's just too complex, too alien. While I'm not at all envious of Tuuli's quick grasp of English, we continued with her lessons till it was time for bed.

Day 13

After breakfast, I opened a warp to Callum at the same big rock the Adventurer used. I sent the guys to look around town while I went to the merchant's guild. Sara, the guild master, explained that there were only two properties available at the moment. The first was cozy and cute while the other was a great big mess. Of course, I chose the latter.

Sara told me that this place even had a small Carriage House. This would be great to give the guys some privacy, but it turned out to simply be a place for a carriage, not the guest house I had wrongly assumed.

Prices out here in the sticks are understandably lower than in the city. Despite the size, the annual rent was only 26k. Adding a few gardening tools, my special discount brought the total down to about 19k. Probably shouldn't have been so stingy, but too late now. We'll need to put in a bit of work anyway.

Now that I think about it, I had brought the guys along for their opinions, but closed the deal almost immediately on sight of the place. I used my Explorer job for the status card check by the village chief. I sort of signed my name on the papers pushed in front of me after they wrote down my details. The numbers checked out so the rest was probably fine.

"Hey guys, what do you think of this town?"

"Quiet and boring — looks perfect."

"Good, come check out the house."

We walked about 2 km from the center of town — I decided not to ask if they knew 'kilometers'. If the local unit of distance is different, would the auto-translation adjust the numbers? Would others hear it as 5 spans, or whatever? It'd be fun to hear them say 'two' while holding up five fingers. Or, maybe most things are set to metric since it's a game world.

"Wow, Boss, this place is huge. At least ten people could live here."

"Maybe, but I'm still guessing that you guys wouldn't mind sharing a room. There's a nice big room downstairs by the kitchen."

"Um, we could get by with less you know."

"And maybe you'll have to someday. Let's spread out while we can. I'll be upstairs because it looks the most like a boss' room."

"Good plan. Not having you look enough like a boss just hurts our reputation you know."

"Ha ha ha, if only that room would be enough. Anyway, glad you like this place since I sort of already rented it. Nothing else reasonable around here anyway."

We spent the rest of the day cleaning and buying stuff for the house. Looks like the place hadn't been left empty for more than a couple months and nothing had major weather damage. Most of the furniture should be usable with some minor fixing. No great hurry anyway since we still had another paid night back at the inn in Curatar and plenty of space here in case some stuff had to be replaced.

There's a small creek nearby that should at least be good enough for sewage. The main well was pretty far away. Not a problem since I planned to produce most of our water magically anyway. The market was near the center of town at a reasonable walking distance. Besides, if we wanted anything special, I could pop over to the city or even to the capital.

Eventually, we went back for dinner at the inn and cleaned up our stuff to be ready to depart after breakfast. Another clean-up task awaited me back in Vale — the gangs. I know that I should let them stew. It makes more sense to let them waste their time. Somehow, I could't drag it out any longer.

I borrowed the steel sword I'd given Marcus, stuffed a cloak into my backpack and warped to the labyrinth back in Vale.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: Territory

Alone in Vale's Labyrinth, I didn't know if I'd run into a well-organized hit-squad or if the gangs had moved on to easier prey. Either way, I hoped to get it resolved tonight. I'd like to be able to use this labyrinth and visit it as I wished without worrying about snipers on every rooftop, so to speak.

Walking out the front, I saw some unhappy thugs spring to life when they saw me — rather hard working for people who don't do honest work. I walked up to them as if I had been the one waiting and called out, "Hey, are you guys here to collect my next loan payment?"

The one who seemed to understand me looked a bit confused for a moment, but it was clear that they couldn't really act like uninterested bystanders at this point. Besides, who were they to turn down money, even if unexpected.

"Um, yeah, that's right. But drop your sword over there. We don't want any misunderstandings, if you know what I mean."

I pulled out my steel sword, but just as I was about to drop it, I called back, "Nah, I don't have time for that sort of thing. Need to get back in there. I'll just leave the money here so you can give it to Bruno, OK?"

Since there was a Hugo, there's probably a Bruno as well. If there isn't, my insistance might add even more confusion.

The leader spoke quietly to one of the others who ran back to town at full speed. "Bruno? Oh, ah, yeah, Bruno. Hey, he, ah, wanted to talk to you so why don't you come with us? We'll take you there."

"Really? Sure, but can you wait just a bit? I left my stuff with the guys."

"What? No, um... wait."

Casually ignoring him, I went back inside Vale's Labyrinth and quickly warped to a low-traffic spot on the first floor. I quickly stored the steel sword, donned the cloak and warped to the murder shack back in the slums.

A very surprised pair of Bandits in there met a very quick end. Such a shame to mess up the shack again. I collected their left-hands and ran out of there while making as much noise as possible. A few nearby thugs drew their weapons as I ran towards the closest yelling, ‹ For Hugo! › in my best attempt at Valic.

I slew that guy and couple other thugs in the area — I was careful to avoid non-combatants — while repeating my mad chant. When more came to join in, I ducked behind a building and quickly warped back to Vale's Labyrinth.

After wiping my face, storing my cloak, and taking out my steel sword, I took a few deep breaths to calm down. Such a shame to leave those status cards back there, but most were low-level anyway. With a stupid grin back on my face, it was time to walk out of the labyrinth again.

Like a bumbling fool, I asked, "Hey guys, I can't find my crew. Can you come help me?"

"Huh? No. Forget them. We need to get you back to, um... Bruno."

"Seriously? Look, I'll just give you the payment and go visit later."

Of course they wouldn't accept such a preposterous proposal... till I pulled out a sack of coins. The lead Bandit paused for a moment, but a little shake of the loot seemed to be enough to make him reconsider his priorities.

"Bruno has a lot of people who owe him. Which one are you?"

"Huh? I'm Mikey, of course. You really work for Bruno, right? He told me to only talk to his people. Big secret or something."

"Yeah, yeah, of course. Um, show me that sword again."

"Sure. Pretty nice, huh? All steel."

After some more murmuring, the leader says, "OK, we'll take your payment, but you better add a bit extra for the bother."

"Sure thing. The hideout's a long walk from here anyway." Saying this, I pulled out a few coins to add to the sack and tossed it towards the leader. While the bag was still in the air, I said my goodbyes and quickly disappeared back into the labyrinth. I expect that he still wanted to bring me in, but I had no interest in accommodating.

The roughly 7k in the sack probably wasn't worth keeping quiet about, but hopefully enough to look like a genuine payment. The cards for the two Bandits I got in the shack should make up for the loss though turning them in locally would be risky.

Don't know if any of the thugs tried to follow me, but it sure must've been confusing if they did. How long would they wait for me this time? In fact, why hadn't they just grabbed me as soon as I stepped out, at least the second time?

With luck, they'll waste time searching the surrounding areas or question 'Bruno', assuming there is one (or more).

Regardless, no one should even consider that the guy in the labyrinth could possibly have attacked the slums at basically the same time. Well, anyone who suspected the truth, should be smart enough to run very, very far away. (Why do I always end up sounding like the villain?)

Day 14

After breakfast at the inn, we picked up some dry goods (like oats for porridge) and warped to our new home in Callum from Curatar's adventurer's guild.

We spend most of the morning making the place livable. Not much more is strictly necessary, but it could still look nicer. I found a stash of low-level weapons upstairs. They're not good enough for us at this point, but convenient to have some extras available. Looking at this junk reminded me of something else.

"Hey, guys, ready for a break? Let's get something to eat and go shopping. Maybe you need better armor."

"Really, Boss? What we have seems fine, same as yours anyway."

"It's OK. We're saving a lot by living out in the countryside so may as well spend the difference on equipment."

We end up getting some moderately heavy armor for Marcus. I suggested full-plate, but he said it'd be better to get used to the intermediate weight first. Unsurprisingly, Theo preferred light armor so he got a small upgrade to hardened leather. I took the same for myself. Neither wanted to replace their shields and I still don't want one — I'm used to two-handed weapons from sports and I'd have to drop something to quickly switch to my wand without a hot-key.

Their current swords seem fine for now — meaning, I'm tired of shopping. Of course, I never expect to find anything better than Durandal for myself. Now that we have a house, I'd rather keep our old armor around as spares or loaners so we walk to the guild and I warp us back home.

"Curatar's Labyrinth is nice, but too crowded for me to comfortably use magic. It'll certainly get better further up and later in the day, but I'd like to have an alternative anyway. I'm going out to look for a less popular labyrinth nearby. Meanwhile, can you guys take a look at the junky weapons I found upstairs? Please clean up anything still useable to have as extras or even sell. I left some money in the cookie jar if you need to get anything in the village. I'll be back before dinner — hint hint."

"Yeah, sure thing, Boss. Supper will be ready around nightfall."

I guess that my best bet is to go to Elven Territory. I think it should be reasonably close and the only other place I remember is Palm-something, which is supposed to be really far away. Going somewhere completely different could be fun, but better to save that for later. So, I pay for a ride to the town of Bode, which is thankfully a short, easy to read name. It's also the site of some story plot, which I might able to take advantage of. I'll just try to steer clear of any interactions with nobility, elven or otherwise.

Once in Bode's rather small guild building, I asked for directions to the town's labyrinth.

"What are you talking about?"

"Um, isn't there a labyrinth near here?"

"Nope. Nearest I know of is in Harba."

Never heard of that place, but should be fine anyway. "OK. Can you take me there? Just one-way will be fine, but drop me near the labyrinth if possible."

"Sure. I'll take you there for, um, four silver."

"I'll give you three silver."

Could've sworn that there would be a labyrinth in Bode. Oh well, can't believe everything you read. At least I was taken to some labyrinth in Elven Territory — judging by the number of elves in the vicinity. It's a bit cold and wet here, but it has a crisp feeling, much like back in my hometown.

The entrance to the labyrinth has a Knight standing like a royal guard, but he looks more Romulan than British. He sort of sneers, but doesn't try to block me. As expected, the inside of the labyrinth looks exactly like any other labyrinth, well, just like the two others I've visited. I explore just far enough from the entrance to make a reasonable warp point and pop back home.

I'm back earlier than expected and my party-member-radar shows the guys in the direction of Callum's center. Unfortunately, my momentarily idle hands get the best of me and I warp back to the trees near the washing spot outside Vale. I quietly make my way towards the labyrinth. I'd like to do this stealthily, but that'd probably just end up making me more noticeable.

Checking extra carefully with Identify, I don't see a single criminal in the area. I'll still avoid this labyrinth for awhile, but it looks like they finally gave up, at least at this location.

Just barely resisting the temptation to bathe here, I warp to Curatar instead and order two wooden, two-seater bathtubs to be delivered to the house in Callum. Fortunately, they can be made western-style for the extra legroom — so they're basically hot-tubs. Getting two small tubs rather than one large is purely for my squeamishness.

Naturally, bathtubs remind me of soap. The manga had an entire arc about it so maybe I'll try to make some too.

I walked into a general store and asked, "Excuse me, do you sell baking soda?"

"I don't recognize that name, Sir, but we do carry a number of tools for baking. What does it look like?"

"It's a white powder."

"Oh, do you mean flour, Sir?"

"No, it's used to make bread rise."

"Ah, hartshorn."

"Maybe... let's see. Woah, not with that smell. OK, maybe not baking. What other white powders do you have?"

Sure hope that doesn't sound misleading.

"Well, we have shell powder, but that's for putting out fires... maybe in the kitchen."

"Perfect! I'll take a small sack of it."

Once I heard the name, I knew it was right. But, why isn't it used for baking? Well, the local rolls are pretty inexpensive already and I don't have the time or inclination to make anything fancy.

"Anything else, Sir?"

"Yeah, do you sell soap?"

"Certainly, right over here."

May as well get the real stuff while I'm here. After finally wasting enough time to avoid having to do my fair share of the work, I go back home for dinner.

The house is looking pretty good. Time to invite Tuuli. Maybe she'll want to stay. In good cheer, I warp over around the usual time to find her sitting in a chair, looking rather serious.

"Tavi, we need to talk." Crap, I never should have taught her English. No, it might be something else. No way she'd know that classic line anyway.

"What's wrong, Tuuli?"

"You know I really like you, Tavi."

"Are you really dumping me?"

"You taught me Englisi and spend time with a plain woman like me, despite all the other women you must have."

"Actually, you're the only one."

"No Tavi, everyone knows that adventurer's have many women, but even if you don't, I need to think about the future."

"I'm renting a big house in the country-side."

"Um, I found a nice boy in another village who wants to become a merchant. I'll help him learn Englisi, like you taught me. So, I can't accept your night visits anymore."

Well, that wasn't really part of the lessons, but no use in correcting her now. Besides, it probably will help keep the boy motivated. Certainly would've improved my school life. As an aside, I wonder if the name 'Englisi' will eventually catch on.

"Alright Tuuli. I'm sad that this will end, but I'm honestly happy that you've found someone."

"Thank you Tavi. I was afraid you would be angry. I'd like you to come back to visit, but please wait till I get thick."

"Thick? Oh, like pregnant? Um, what about when we..."

"No Tavi, you know that's impossible."

Yes, that's what she said earlier. Of course this world must have contraceptives.

"Do you want to talk tonight or should I leave?"

"I couldn't resist if you stayed and I'd never forgive you if you could resist me."

Damn, her English is pretty much perfect now. After a nice, long hug, I warped to Curatar's second floor to smash a few olive trees and kobolds. I'll really miss her, but it's not like our relationship was all that deep anyway. It was more of a secret tryst than something with potential. I rationalized my way through dozens of monsters before warping back home.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: Home

Day 15

Woke up early to mess up our kitchen with a little chemistry experiment. I grabbed a hand-full of soapberries, crushed and boiled them till they seemed done — never said it was going to be rigorous. OK, I'm actually trying to extract the saponins and boiling seemed the most obvious. Don't want to destroy them so I'll just keep them warm for a while. The guys probably heard me in here and came in to start making breakfast.

Marcus pointed to the extra pot and asked, "What's that, Boss?"

Not really in a talkative mood, but I managed to reply, "I'm pretending to make soap."

Of course, you can't actually make soap with baking soda, but the attempt was evidently good enough to trigger some chemistry-related job. Besides, the actual soap I bought sort of stinks. It probably wasn't meant for bathing. I guess it could be fixed with some actual chemistry or I could make my own. In the end, it's more likely that I'll just go to a fancy store in the capital and buy the good stuff — time is money, after all.

At breakfast, nothing could be heard besides the sound of oatmeal getting plopped into the bowls. I guess my sour mood was bringing the room down. Still grumpy, I sought entertainment by skimming through my character settings.

Despite being able to use magic and regularly fighting simulated monsters, I've been treating this world as real. Well, it is real, in a sense, but not like a normal reality. Maybe it's healthier to think of this place as really real, but the way I've ignored my accumulating bonus points has been inefficient. I need to pay attention to the game elements that are keeping me alive and fed.

I had already taken the skills needed for chant omission, but have pretty much ignored the rest. Anyway, I'll sift through the details later and just check my list of jobs for now. Let's see, my currently applied jobs are:

[Explorer: 30, Hero: 27, Mage: 29, Warrior: 30]

After getting Mage, I only use Monk when needed so it's just level 9. Swordsman, Merchant and Herbalist are all low level and can at least be delayed for awhile. The big news is that I have two new jobs: Bounty Hunter and Knight.

These were almost certainly from my Warrior job hitting level 30 — my knowledge-cheat strikes again! Embarrassing that this little reward pretty much makes up for getting dumped last night, but the timing is welcome.

I should be able to safely take away Warrior — could always push it to 50 later. There may be some benefits to raising Monk or one of the others, but Knight seems useful now. Besides, I'd really like to know if Knight will lead to some higher-level jobs. I equip Knight in place of Warrior and check its skill list. Thinking about Status Card, the skill popped into my head.

I gotta try this — like, right now. I can't just keep all the fun to myself and the guys look like they could use a little cheer. Just to be polite, I'll set Mage as my first job. I stretched out my left hand and made my card pop up, right there at the table.

"Check this out! I just figured out how to make status cards pop up. Let me try yours."

Marcus drops his spoon and practically shouts, "Just figured it out?!"

Theo quickly jumps in with, "In the usual way, Marcus." He then grabs Marcus' left hand and shoves it near me along with his own.

I really do ask too much of these guys sometimes. I'd explain how I can do these things, but I fear it'd just make it worse. Right now, plausible deniability seems like the best way to go.

"Thanks. Don't you think I could use this as a pretty effective disguise? I mean, who is going to suspect the guy who's checking status cards?"

"Yeah, um, it'd fool me."

"Sorry that I just sprung this on you. I know that some of my antics must be pretty odd, maybe even disturbing. I'm just in a weird mood since Tuuli dumped me last night."

Quietly, Marcus asks Theo, "Who's that?"

"Oh, really sorry to hear that, Boss, right Marcus?"

"Thanks but it's for the best anyway. I just latched onto the first woman I met in this new... area. It's not like I'd be willing to become a farmer." Mumbling by the end, I walked off to my room to fetch more ingredients.

"Why's he talking about farming?"

"Just grab the dishes."

When I came back, "Oh, leave that one. It's my chemistry experiment."

That statement seemed to overcome their usual behavior of avoiding details because they stood nearby and watched attentively.

I'm not sure if the extraction is really done, but it should be good enough for my purposes. I strained the liquid through some cheese-cloth (at least that's what I call it) and started to add a little baking soda. It fizzed — good sign. I kept stirring for a while till the reaction seemed to stop.

Don't really know what to do with it now. Certainly didn't look particularly clean and it's way too thin. I spread some cloth over a bowl and poured some in. Guess I'll just let it sit for a while. I poured the rest onto a large metal plate outside. A thick layer remained in the pan, which will probably be pretty hard to clean later... might need to use some of the real soap for that.

"Well, that should be good enough for now. By the way, I found us a new labyrinth in Elven Territory. Let's go check it out. We should bring some bread rolls since I didn't see any food stands in the area."

We warped to a spot just outside the Harba Labyrinth. A bit wasteful to start over from the first floor, but the lack of the carnival-feel of Curatar's Labyrinth was worth it. I considered paying the attendant here to take us to a higher floor, but his glare made it feel like we shouldn't talk to him.

Thankfully, we didn't see any other parties inside so I used magic freely. We jogged through most of the first floor before it felt like time for a break. I used the actual Explorer spell to move us near the entrance and we walked out normally. No need to do anything unnecessarily suspicious.

Elves! So many elves that it looked like we just intruded on a big family reunion. Several parties of elves were preparing to enter the labyrinth. Most appeared to have a mix of older and younger Knights along with support personnel like Explorers and Priests. Most seemed too busy to notice us, but the few who did didn't exactly look friendly.

Another, much fancier party approached the crowd. Everyone quickly made way and lowered their heads. Of course, we moved aside as well. Unsurprisingly, they held fancy jobs, last names and one was even a duchess. Well, there goes the neighborhood.

As the only non-elves in sight, we were way too conspicuous. It's not like we were breaking any rules, as far as I know, but it's obviously a bad idea to hang around nobles, especially as an obvious outsider. In my reliable experience of reading a vast number of completely made-up stories, nobles can't be trusted.

Once we were safely out of view, I warped us to Bode's small adventurer's guild. The situation wasn't bad enough to scare me away from Elven Territory completely, but we should at least avoid their top resorts.

"Hello. Can you suggest an unpopular labyrinth in the area?"

"Why?"

"The one in Harba seemed to be some sort of training ground. Don't want to get in their way."

"Ah yes, Harba has been rather busy. Well, if you don't mind roughing it, you could try Selmer's territory. I've heard some nasty rumors though. Don't know if they're true, but at least it should be unpopular."

"Perfect. Know anyone who can take us?"

"Hey Rolf, you're from Selmer, right? Can you take these guys to that creepy labyrinth you talked about?"

"Huh? Who would want to... oh, just you humans? Sure, no problem. Three silver each, one-way only, no need to wait for anyone else to join."

"Sounds good, let's go." Of course it didn't sound good, but I could just warp us out of there at a moment's notice. It was worth paying for all three of us for the directions alone.

"This is Nordselm. Good luck." With a smirk, the Adventurer departed, probably never expecting to see us again. Certainly haven't had bad interactions with all elves, but seems like quite a few would rather not have us around.

"Man, this place is a dump." The small village a short ways away looked run-down. Maybe not as bad as Vale's urban slum, but definitely poor. We should bring some extra bread next time.

"Now this is what a dungeon should look like."

"Huh?"

"Labyrinth, but this place is grungy enough to be called a dungeon."

"And that's good?"

"Yep. Wait, do you guys think that this is a bad idea?"

"Honestly, Boss, with your power, nowhere is too dangerous."

"OK, but tell me if I say something weird."

"Um..."

"Sorry, I meant foolish... or, whatever, you know what I mean."

"Sure do, Boss."

Of course, the inside was just as fake as usual. An actual dungeon would have an esthetic appeal, but I'll still take this comforting predictability in practice. This is my job, not just a game, or so I need to convince myself for the sake of safety.

Bothersome to start on a first floor yet again, but we haven't gotten very far anywhere else anyway. The goats here were insta-killed by Durandal, but took an extra shot of magic or hits for normal swords. Maybe goats are tougher than other monsters, but I suspect that it's related to the labyrinths unpopularity.

Well, even if it turns out to be twice as tough, it'll be worth having practically exclusive access. Injured goats tried to flee, but they were easily caught with warp... or simply ignored. After wasting time elsewhere, we didn't get very far before it was time to return home.

When we arrived, I went outside to find that the hot-tubs had been delivered. Guess no one would effectively risk their lives to steal something so common — online shopping would do well here. No good place for them indoors so we decided to put them under the awning on the back porch. Could use greater separation later, but convenient for now so I could fill and heat both at the same time.

The guys started making a simple meal while I checked on my experiment. The slurry hadn't really dried all that well, but most of it was retained when I pulled up the cloth from the bowl. I'll use this today and leave the poured-out portion to dry a bit longer.

While the guys were still cooking, I tried filling the tubs with water walls. The tubs I ordered were rectangular with an outer base of about 200 x 140 cm. My water wall, and probably all wall spells, looks to be a bit over 150 cm wide. I could center the water walls over the tubs and only lose a little due to the splash from the abrupt fall. It took about three wall spells each to leave enough space for the later occupants.

That much wasn't a great drain on my mana, but I'll heat them after dinner — obviously not before. Could try to arrange a little insulation around the outside or make lids, but it'd be easier to just blast them with a little extra heat when needed.

We were anxious to try the baths so we ate quickly. I grabbed the 'soap' and went out to start heating the tubs.

"Here is the simple cleaning agent I made today. It should be pretty mild, but just try a little at first and make sure it doesn't get in your eyes."

Using firewalls didn't seem efficient and it'd certainly damage the tubs. Instead, I fired off a series of fireballs set to detonate just below the surface of the water by imagining little, invisible monsters. It'd really suck if the tubs got damaged. If necessary, I'd just heat water in a large metal pot — like a witches cauldron.

Starting from a little below room temperature, it took over a dozen fireballs just to heat a single tub till it felt to be hot-tub-ish. It was quite tiring to heat both, but I could manage and the relaxing bath was a nice reward. Theo announced that the 'soap' was OK and I we got in our respective tubs.

Marcus praises, "Boss, this is fantastic. I haven't had a hot bath in years."

Theo adds, "Boss, it was really generous of you to even get a bath for us to use."

"To be honest, I was hoping to have a guest and didn't want you guys waiting around, but the 'generosity' explanation sounds better."

Wish I hadn't remembered that, but no need to bring their mood down with mine.

"Well, enjoy the bath guys. Probably better to just leave the tubs like this tonight and we'll dig a channel for drainage in the morning."

I warped to Curatar's 2nd floor, which has become my favorite spot to take it easy. Resisting the temptation to check on Vale, I went home to sleep in my comfortable bed... well, it's better than the inn.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: Welcome

Day 16

Feeling much better today, I start preparing porridge for breakfast. May as well check up on the other part of my soap experiment. The fake-soap I left out to dry yesterday looks sort of weird. May have been too cool outside. On the positive side, the guys already dug a little drainage channel and even cleaned out both tubs.

Oops, I ended up burning the oatmeal. I guess that woke the guys in a hurry.

While trying to shovel in the ruined breakfast, I took a moment to recheck the list of available jobs.

Ah, I got Alchemist and Cook. Hmm, Cook was unexpected. Did my chem experiment count for both? Well, it was just boiled fruit and baking soda so, maybe it was fruit-soda ha ha. Well, it was either that or my burnt oatmeal. I don't know the triggers for every job and I really shouldn't care as long as they work.

My new Alchemy job gives me the Plating skill — I think that makes a protective barrier. Yeah, it was used for Sherry back in the manga. Oh yeah, Sherry. I wonder when she'll be available. I think it was after the move to Curatar, but before getting mixed up with the elves... ah, I don't even know when that is, was or will be. Anyway, I'll just go to Alan's shop soon and ask directly... without asking for her by name.

Even after passing on the chance to get Roxanne and sort of promising myself to stay away from getting (female) slaves, I don't want to miss out on the opportunity of meeting Sherry. Being able to turn her into a blacksmith will really open up some fantastic opportunities for both of us. The manga made her seem quite rational and easy to deal with, but maybe she won't like me personally or won't want to be used as a tool. Still, she's worth looking for to ask if she'd be willing to join me.

For bonus points, I have more than enough to bump up one of my EXP cheats so I'll put the points into the one that seems to help the party as well. Identify and the reset skills will be lumped together as 'Essential', since they are. With the remainder, I'll throw them into Crystal Acceleration, MP Recovery and Critical Hit Rate, just so they don't go to waste. I'll be able to increase my other EXP skill once I reach level 40.

Bonus Points: 127

  Lvl   Cost   Skill         Note       
  ---   ----   -----------   -----------
    2      3   Essential     Char/Job/ID
    4     15   EXP Needed    1/5        
    5     31   EXP Gained    10x        
    6     63   Weapon        Durandal   
    3      7   Extra Jobs    4 jobs     
    2      3   Crystal Acc   4x         
    2      3   Chant Omit    keep       
    1      1   MP Recovery   temp       
    1      1   Crit Hits     temp       

Now that I'm done mumbling to myself while playing with my tablet and virtual screen, I see that the others have already finished breakfast. I'm really lucky to have the social status to simply appear eccentric rather than insane.

Already forgetting that I made it, "Thanks for breakfast. Let's get ready to head out."

Anxious to reach more challenging floors, I took us back to where we left off in Nordselm's Labyrinth. Easily making it to the first floor boss room, we fought against the creepy-looking boss called Pan. Fortunately, I remembered the trick to keep interrupting its spells and it was all over by the time it was driven into a corner.

After this, we stopped for a short break to eat some bread. I left the guys to rest near the entrance while I walked past the ice patches to the village. I passed out the few extra rolls we had from home — stale, but edible. I'm certainly not going to solve the problems of an entire village, but I can afford to do a bit while I'm in the neighborhood.

One of the braver children tried speaking to me, « ■■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■ »?

Not understanding, I simply told him to help himself: « Allez-y, servez-vous... il y en a beaucoup. »

Don't know why I responded in French, but speaking in the language of the aristocracy just felt wrong here. Of course, I couldn't help noticing that the status of French and English were reversed in this world, as least for the apparent time period.

I'm assuming that the kid spoke in Elvish. At least, it didn't sound like Valic, but I don't know if languages are geographical, species-specific or have a more complicated distribution. Regardless, it sounded vaguely germanic, but not really German, as far as I could tell.

Not sure why, but the idea of German Elves seemed amusing until I thought about forest dwellers in the medieval era of Earth and then it sort of made sense. I wonder what Tolkien's made-up Elvish was meant to sound like. Sure would be cool if it was like this, not that that'd help me here. For all I know, that kid was just making meaningless noises arranged to resemble a language. Oh right, real person, not an NPC.

No more bread rolls so I waved goodbye and we went back to work.

The second floor added the already familiar trees so we still had it pretty easy. We eventually reached the boss and chopped down the slightly bigger boss tree. It'd already gotten pretty late so we only went to the third floor to see that the next monster would be rabbits. Could just warp out from here, but may as well behave properly since we were seen entering the normal way — well, not when we first arrived, but close enough.

We walked further away from the village and just as I was getting ready to open a warp portal, I heard a woman's scream. Pretty sure none of the normal monsters imitate people so we quickly moved ahead to see what was going on. Concerned that this could be an elaborate trap, I had the guy's take flanking positions, but remain hidden.

Not far ahead, I saw that it was just a group of people arguing... no, it was one-sided and more violent. A male elf seemed to be leading a gang of cat-kin in assaulting a lone, female cat-kin. It seemed mainly verbal at this point, but it appears that she had at least been pushed down onto the cold ground.

Don't know exactly what was going on here, but it wasn't something I wanted to ignore. And, I'm not being so sexist that I'd only rescue women, but I have yet to see a gang of girls beating up a helpless boy.

Since Identify told me that they didn't hold criminal jobs, I'll start with a non-lethal approach. (Feels like there should be something wrong with that statement, but I can't quite figure out what.)

The leader is named Jakob and is a level 13 Villager — that should help me set the tone. I motioned for the guys to stay out of sight and walked towards the group. I tried to approach casually with no effort to hide nor attack — like what they were doing was perfectly natural and expected.

In a familiar but stern tone, "Hey, are you Jakob? Boss want's to see you."

"Huh? Now? But I'm busy teaching this servant a lesson."

"Alright, I'll tell him that you're too busy with some chick."

"Ah, no, um, right now?"

"What do you think?"

Jakob mumbled something to his lackeys that I couldn't quite hear.

I respond to the implied question, in the darkest way I could muster, "Don't worry about the girl. I'll take good care of her. The labyrinth is nearby after all."

One of the lackeys asks worriedly, "Jakob, we were just supposed to scare her. Isn't this too much?"

Quietly, "Can't be helped. Anyway, probably better this way." More clearly, "C'mon guys, let's go." "Thanks."

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

Once the creeps started to walk away, I approached the shivering woman, who was curled up in a defensive position. Her injuries seemed mild, but I still cast a couple heals. She was clearly terrified, but this wasn't the environment for a gentle approach — the creeps were still nearby. I picked her up and carried her to the labyrinth. My guys followed a bit further back and hidden. We needed to get her out of here, but my warp portals can only be entered by party members — I discovered that when I once forgot to reform the party.

I sent a party invitation and gently whispered her name in the sweetest voice I could manage, "Alina honey, we need to go."

This trick was fortunately enough to gain the needed trust... in an abduction sort of way. I immediately opened a portal back home for the four of us to make a quick escape.

Alina soon passed out from the stress or simple exhaustion so I placed her down on a bed in one of the spare rooms. I took off her shoes, loosened her collar and pulled a thin blanket over her. Theo fetched a cup of water and some bread which we set down on the nightstand. Not really wanting her to wake up to the sight of three big dudes towering over her, we left with the door partially open to hopefully signal that she wasn't a prisoner.

"Guys, please make something easy to eat, like soup. I'm going to keep an eye on our guest. Fine to start eating without us, but keep some warm."

I sat outside the room and waited. After 20 minutes or so, I heard Alina start to stir so I tapped on the door and walked in, keeping my distance.

"Where am I? What do you want? Stay away!"

"My name is David. This is my home. You're safe here."

"How can I trust you?"

"Uh, I don't know."

"Huh?"

"What I can say is that you've been removed from a dangerous situation so this should at least be better."

"Why did you bring me here? What are you going to do to me?"

"I brought you here to rest. I'll feed you if you're hungry and then take you wherever you'd like to go."

"That makes no sense. I want out. Right now."

"OK, the door is open and the village center is a 30-minute walk. But, it's late so there are no carriages before morning."

"That's just a trick to keep me here."

"You aren't being held and no one has touched you inappropriately."

"Nah, this doesn't feel right. You sound like a pervert."

"Well, I'm not. You are free to leave, stay here or come down to join us. We can take you home or to a town now or later. Your choice."

With that, I walked out, but made sure to leave the door open. Damn, I'm really getting tired of getting called a pervert for not molesting helpless women... not that I'm about to start. Of course, I understand that she's in shock and that I don't exactly look innocent... especially considering that I did sort of trick her into following me and she woke up on a strange bed.

Talking to the guys, "Our guest woke up understandably disoriented so she probably needs some time to adjust. While we're waiting, let's have a quick strategy meeting. I want to change our general schedule. Nothing too strange, but I'd like to break our work days into blocks of morning, after lunch and after dinner. Lunch breaks will usually be together and the break before dinner should be longer and more flexible. Each work period should be about 3 hours."

"Sure, Boss, no complaints."

"Well, if we have the energy and are getting bored, we could always do a bit more, but overworking leads to unnecessary risk. Of course, it's also possible to flip the schedule so we work at night and sleep during the day. What do you think of that?"

Marcus says, "Well, since you're asking, I'd like a day schedule best. It's hard to sleep when the sun is up. Having a little extra time during the afternoon for chores also sounds nice."

"Advantages and disadvantages to both, but let's start with this daytime schedule... I like that better anyway. Next, is the question of where. We have a few places available to us so instead of just focusing on one, I'd like to spread out a bit. It's a bit less efficient, but safer to move at a steady pace as well as getting used to fighting different combinations of monsters."

"Sure, whatever you say, Boss."

"Curatar is crowded in the mornings, but practically empty late at night..."

"..."

"Um, I restricted myself to the lowest and safest floors. Anyway, Harba is probably best to leave it to the Knights. Nordselm would be great, but we need to know more about what's going on over there first."

"That place seems really suspicious. Probably some bandit camp nearby."

"Agreed and I don't want to be surprised. Speaking of, I snuck over to Vale a couple days ago and it looks like the criminal gangs have finally stopped looking for us. We could go there in the mornings if Elven Territory is inconvenient or maybe just in the afternoons."

"Um, Boss, maybe it's a bit risky that you're going places like that without any backup."

"Point taken, but I was being careful, I promise. In fact, I bought the bathtubs to avoid the temptation to bathe over there."

"..."

"Well, I didn't do it."

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: Hospitality

We were just clearing the table when Alina snuck downstairs, looked around and darted out the front door. We continued as before and pretended not to notice. After sneaking around for a while, she climbed into a nearby tree, probably to keep track of us. I set the covered pot of the remaining soup just outside the house and got ready to head out to the labyrinths with the guys.

I'd really like to go back to Nordselm to see what was going on over there. Sounded like Jakob was on the low-end of some shady business. Considering the state of the surroundings, I doubt that there was any law enforcement or official care. If Alina manages to trust us, she might share something that will help us clean up or at least know who to call for back up.

Walking outside and not looking in her direction, I announced, "There's food here if you want it. We'll be heading out for a while. Whether you stay or go is up to you." After that, we went around the corner, just out of sight and warped to Curatar's Labyrinth.

Here on the fifth floor, with the lollipop monsters, it was late enough in the day that I felt comfortable using magic. We made it to the boss room and defeated it easily. The only down side is that the damn thing was a Collage Coral, not Keratin. The sixth floor introduced the bull-on-steroids we fought in Vale's Labyrinth. It's called 'mino', which is short for 'minotaur', I guess. Still can't tell if the monster names are meant to be profound or just silly.

After it felt that we'd been gone long enough, we warped back to a spot a bit further out from where we had warped out — a little caution isn't paranoia. Looks like Alina is hiding in the empty horse stall now. Some of the soup was taken — good that she trusted us enough to eat. Honestly, not being tied up when she woke up should've given us some credibility.

Well, she's free to move at her own pace. Speaking of trust, I'm going to block the door to my bedroom in case anyone decides to the get rid of the perceived pervert before he gets her. Hmm, I wonder how Tessa's doing.

Day 17

"Morning, guys. Thanks for getting breakfast ready."

"Sure thing, Boss. Did Alina come back?"

A quick check of my map suggests that she's in the mini-barn.

"Nope, but I'll go check on her."

Walking over there, I stood just outside the horse stall and spoke to our stow-away with a calm voice.

"Good morning Alina. Would you like to come in for breakfast."

Still concealed, "Um, would it be OK?"

"Well, the porridge will be better now than after we leave."

Finally coming out from her not-so-secret hiding place, Alina stayed a few meters behind, but followed me inside.

"Alina, these are my fellow party members, Marcus and Theo."

"Hello, Alina. I'll get you a bowl."

"Um, thanks."

"..."

"Alina, would you like to rest here a bit longer or are you ready to leave?"

"You'll really let me go?"

"Of course. In fact, if you want to stay a long time, you'll need to work."

"You mean, in a brothel?"

"...no. That's not at all what I meant and it seems unlikely that you work for one."

"Of course not!"

"Then why?"

"Well, Jakob has probably already figured out that you've betrayed the other brigands by stealing me. So I thought..."

"Oh, we're not criminals of any kind. What made you think that?"

"Then how do you know Jakob and his boss?"

"I just caught the name 'Jakob' and faked the rest. Basically, I lied to get you out of there safely."

"Then what were you doing there?"

"The other labyrinths were too crowded."

"Do you really expect me to believe that and just trust you?"

"Well, that would have been nice, but I see that this is going nowhere."

"..."

"It's time for you to leave."

"Huh?"

"Do you want to be taken back to Nordselm or to a bigger town? If you'd rather go alone, the village center is straight down the main path."

"You're just going to dump me somewhere?"

"You're safe and fully recovered. Why would you stay here with people you can't trust?"

"...I understand. Can you take me to Selmer's Castle?"

"Sure. Gather your things and meet us out front. Guys, I'd like you to come along for support. I'll change into my fancy clothes."

A few minutes later, we were all assembled in front of the house. "Alina, please close your eyes and turn away so you don't see the exact departure point." With that, we warped to Bode's adventurer's guild. I found Rolf and paid him to take us to Selmer.

"Alina, do you need someone to help you explain what happened?"

"Um, I can't really ask you to do that, after what I said. Anyway, Jakob must have reported my disappearance by now."

"It's OK. I'm a witness, after all. Guys, wait out here for a bit. You'll probably make the guards nervous."

Walking up to the gate, I tried my best to look important and announced, "Hello, my name is David Moreau. I have an matter to discuss with your captain."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No. It relates to an event that occurred just last night."

"Well, the captain isn't available. Come back when you have an appointment."

Alina interjects, "Is Lady Rutina available?"[1]

"Yes, Alina, but you can't bring an outsider with you. Wait here."

I was expecting to see someone like a head-maid, but a slender, elven teenager wearing an ornate dress approached us with a stern look on her face. Better find out who we're dealing with:

[Rutina Nordbraun Anselm]
[Female, Age: 14]
[Villager: 1]

Fourteen? Well, that's almost marriageable for an isekai, particularly if she's sheltered enough to still be at level 1. But, since even a noble child outranks me, I'd better show some artificial respect. With luck, my extensive knowledge of GoT will pass as proper etiquette. Too bad I didn't just leave Alina on the doorstep and run.

"Alina! So, you came crawling back after all. Jakob said you wouldn't, but I knew better. You've already been replaced, though."

"My Lady, that's not what happened. I was attacked."

"No, don't even try to make up stories. There were witnesses."

"My Lady, may I introduce David, the man who rescued me."

"Guards! Seize him!"

One grabbed my arm while shouting, "Show me your Status Card!" and the other recited the incantation.

"OK, OK, calm down already. Mind your manners," I admonished.

"He's not a Bandit, My Lady. In fact, he's a Mage."

(Crap crap crap! I forgot to switch back to Explorer.)

Still in view of the gate, Marcus and Theo witnessed this event and started sprinting towards us.

"Pardon me for interrupting, but it seems that my personal guards may have become concerned for my safety."

"You're a Mage? Guards, release this man at once!"

"Marcus, Theo, stand-down. It's just a little misunderstanding."

"Oh, ah, yes, of course. Please come up to my study so we can talk in peace."

"Men, stand-by near the gate — protocol three."

Always quick on the uptake, Theo responded to the fake order, "Yes, My Lord."

Rutina seemed to accept this as standard, which it actually could be for all I know.

Once seated in a small, warm room, she ordered a servant through gritted teeth, "Find Jakob and bring him here, immediately."

"Now then, please pardon that dreadful misunderstanding. We haven't even been properly introduced. I am Lady Rutina of House Anselm."

It's good that I didn't just dismiss her as just a well-dressed commoner. I'll try to sound important without actually lying.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Rutina. I am David Moreau, a Mage from a distant land. I do hope that we can resolve this matter amicably."

"Yes indeed. Now then, Alina, let's hear your version of the events."

Alina told of how she had seen Jakob meet with someone she didn't recognize and how this had apparently angered Jakob. Alina was then abducted and taken to some forest she didn't recognize.

"Jakob and four guys from the kitchen staff were beating me till this man showed up. A moment later, I was picked up and carried away. Just before passing out, I felt certain that my life was over. Instead, I woke up in Da... Lord Moreau's home. I was fed, healed and sheltered before they returned me here."

"Alina, that is quite different than Jakob's story, but I have never known you to lie."

Head bowed, Alina continues, "My Lady, I must confess that I have been terribly disrespectful to Lord Moreau. After being rescued, I continued to suspect the worst and refused his hospitality till not long before coming here. I am truly sorry for my terrible behavior."

Oh Alina, that really didn't help your story. I really should have prepped her and maybe been a bit more patient. Hoping that this won't be the prelude to a public flogging. I jumped in, "No, Alina, I was at fault for not properly explaining myself. Your caution was only natural."

"You really are too kind, Lord Moreau, but Alina is right, she must pay for her offense. But first, Lord Moreau, may I hear your side of the story?"

"Certainly, Lady Rutina. Near Nordselm, my party happened upon this young woman being cruelly assaulted by four men, who seemed to be doing it out of amusement. Not knowing the full details, I decided to try to convince them to leave voluntarily."

"How did you manage that?"

"I happened to catch the name of the apparent leader, Jakob, and told him that the 'boss' needed to see him. Furthermore, he should 'give' the girl to me. The implication was clear that she would never return. It was absolutely horrible of me to frighten the helpless Alina like that, but it seemed to be the best way to minimize bloodshed and insure her safety. The rest is as Alina explained."

"How dreadful, but who is this 'boss' you speak of?"

"I have no idea. Jakob didn't look like he'd be at the very top of a criminal organization so I simply assumed he reported to someone higher up."

"These are very serious accusations, Lord Moreau. I've known Jakob for several years but Alina as well so I don't know what to think. Guards, send Jakob in now."

Jakob seems to have no idea why he was dragged here.

"My Lady, what ever is the... Hey, that's him! That's the brigand who attacked me out by the horse stalls. Alina was in on it too. The boys from the kitchen staff saw it all."

"Lady Rutina, this man, Jakob, has provided false testimony and wrongfully accused me of a crime he himself committed. I demand satisfaction."

"Why is he acting all fancy? This outsider has no right to question my word."

"Lord Moreau, if you're asking for a duel, Jakob doesn't have the social status to accept."

"Wait. What's going on here, My Lady? Don't take his side. He's obviously lying. Those fancy clothes were probably stolen."

"Be quiet, Jakob."

Actually, this sheltered, little lady is handling this whole matter surprisingly well. I guess being a low-level Villager doesn't mean that she also slacked off with her diplomacy and management studies.

"Yes, of course, Lady Rutina, but Jakob certainly has a superior who is responsible for him."

"Um, well, that would be me, actually."

"Ah, perfect. Then, may I suggest that Jakob be designated as your champion in this matter?"

"What?! Hey, I can't fight an actual Bandit or much of anyone really. I have no fighting experience."

I wanted to end this guy so I goaded him, "Oh, afraid you'd lose to a Mage?"

"Um, what? You're a Mage? A Mage who demands a duel? Even I can beat a Mage! Ha ha, I accept. I get to keep his stuff, right?"

Alina's turns to me in fear, "No Da... Lord Moreau. You can't do this. Not for me. A Mage can't possibly..."

"Alina, an official challenge has been declared. Do not interfere. If you are certain, Lord Moreau, I accept. Public or private?"

"Private and as soon as it would be convenient, Lady Rutina."

"Very well. We shall go now then. Please follow me, Lord Moreau."

Jakob seemed to see this as an opportunity, "Ha ha, yes, let's do it right now so he can't run away."

We walked out to a small courtyard where a Knight would act as the marshal. Marcus and Theo saw this and followed. I didn't really want to fight in my fancy clothes, but this really shouldn't take long.

Alina looked worried and probably a bit guilty, but Theo whispered something to help calm her down. Neither of my guys looked the least bit concerned — hey, Jakob could secretly be Zorro.

Jakob had a two-handed, copper sword and looked ready to rush to get to me before I could finish an incantation. I stood calmly before him, armed with just a wand.

The marshal called the start and Jakob made a mad-dash at me with his sword overhead. I mumbled some very short, fake incantation and used wind magic to create an invisible wall between us, a breeze wall. Completely unaware of this, Jakob smashed into it head-first and crumpled in an almost cartoonish way. He managed to pass through, but not unscathed. Jakob dropped his sword, fell to his knees and finally flopped face-first at my feet.

I ended the duel by mercifully snapping his neck.

[1] Rutina gets introduced much later in the original story, well past the manga David read. She's a different person at this point.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: Demoiselle

Jakob wasn't a Bandit and I can't really consider what I did as self-defense, despite his killing intent. No, I had to do it because of the look on his face — the malevolent smirk he wore as he directed the others to beat Alina. Jakob was enjoying himself. This probably wasn't his first time and certainly wouldn't be the last.

Still, I do feel a tinge of guilt, but the formality of the duel has absolved me of all legal responsibility.

"I, Brunhild of the Count of Selmer's[1] knight order, do hereby testify that this was a fair duel, and that no retaliation shall follow its outcome."

Oh, 'County' means there's a 'Count' — I wondered why there was a castle here. Anyway, Alina's been safely delivered and the primary assailant has been dealt with — permanently. I've done more than enough and it's time to go. Now, how can I make a graceful exit? Hopefully, after a few minutes of small talk, I'll be able to slip away, never to be seen again.

Rutina was oddly exuberant, "Lord Moreau, that was incredible! To think that your magic would be so quick, so powerful."

"I was simply fortunate that Jakob didn't recognize my spell. After all, magic is best suited to the labyrinths, not duels." Without my Chant Omission skill, I wouldn't have had time for that spell.

"Oh? Do you go to the labyrinths frequently?"

"Yes, Lady Rutina, whenever possible." If I had a phone, I'd fake a call. Nobles probably have the time to just gab all day long.

"Have you ever had students, Lord Moreau?"

That was out of context. Well, I taught back in the old world and Tuuli here, I guess. "Yes, but rarely. In fact, I should really be on my way. It was a pleasure to..."

In a disturbingly cutesy voice, "Lord Moreau, I absolutely insist that you accept me as your student."

"Um, sorry, I don't quite understand? Why?"

Now stern and formal, not all cutesy, "Then I will make myself perfectly clear, Mr. Moreau,[2] I will have you teach me magic."

Huh? Ah, this little noble wrote down my details for the formal record of the duel. Even if she didn't know my (humble) status when we met, she sure as hell knows it now. Defeated by a level 1 Villager.

I can't directly refuse a noble, even a minor. Claiming that I have another student wouldn't work unless I could produce proof of having an even higher-ranked student. My only recourse is etiquette, which I would probably know better if I hadn't slept through Pride and Prejudice. Relying on GoT as a model would probably end with everyone dead, especially me.

"Yes, My Lady, it would be an honor. Yet, considering my humble status, I fear that this matter touches upon your house’s dignity. I would not presume to act without the house’s blessing. Surely, we must seek formal approval for such a venture."

Ugh, that was simply sickening. Did all that crap even make sense? Well, if the people in charge approve, I'll charge them heavily and actually fulfill Rutina's wish. It'll be a bother, but more nobles need to start doing their part to keep this place safe. I wonder what's wrong with the count himself. Is he ill, injured or just overworked?

"As this is a critical matter for our House, His Lordship will approve, without a doubt."

"Of course, My Lady, it is certainly as you say. With a proper escort and the His Lordship's seal of approval, there should be no problem. As for my remuneration..."

"Remuneration?"

"Yes, My Lady, my fee is 50 gold coins for five days of instruction."

Too expensive would make it look like I'm trying to get out of it, which I am, and possibly be seen as an insult. Too cheap would look almost as bad... and I'd get less money. Technically, we could probably wrap this up in an afternoon. Five days may seem suspiciously brief, but I couldn't possibly stretch it out any longer. Overall, this should be a reasonable estimate for something I just pulled out of my... thin air.

"Quite a modest fee, assuming success, of course."

Crap, should've asked for 100. "Yes, full payment is dependent on a successful outcome."

"As a deposit for you and atonement for her, Alina will be part of the deal."

"Alina? How so?"

"I propose that just compensation shall be Alina along with, let's say, 30 gold coins."

How detestable to use people like commodities. Oh, Alina, I'm so sorry that anyone would treat you this way.

"Thank you for this opportunity, My Lady. I hardly deserve such leniency."

"Of course, Alina. You've served us well. Now, go pack up your things and... ■■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■."

Yep, I'm an idiot for forgetting where I am. This is a feudal society with emphasis on happy submission and guilt-free lechery. They seem so sincere, like an innocent lamb and kind-hearted shepherd — and we all know how that turns out. Refusing now would insult both the spoiled noble and Alina, possibly with unpleasant consequences.

"Yes, My Lady, I will gladly accept Alina."

Of course, my acceptance was completely irrelevant since Alina had already run off to pack.

"So, My Lady, would you be available to start tomorrow morning, maybe an hour after dawn?"

"Why wait? Let's start today, right now in fact."

"I'm sorry, My Lady, some preparations are needed. Do you perhaps have a wand, spear and a set of armor available? Something light like leather would be best for mobility."

Rutina sighs, "Alright then, we'll meet here soon after dawn. Why would I need to bring a spear though?"

"We'll start out with some light, physical combat in the labyrinth before the actual magic lessons. This is a necessary part of the process."

"Start in the labyrinth? Right from the beginning?"

"Yes, absolutely. Will that be a problem, My Lady?" (Please say yes.)

"Of... of course not," she squeaked.

"I presume that you'll bring along one of your Knights as an escort, preferably female. Assigning an Adventurer would be good for your safety and convenience. The Adventurer should normally remain outside and seek help in an emergency. Your Knight would, of course, stand by your side as a rear guard. My men can act as the vanguard, unless you prefer your own."

"Um, yes, we'll do as you suggest."

"Well then, My Lady, we'll meet here tomorrow, an hour after dawn. I'll take my leave now and await Alina outside."

Suitcase in hand, Alina came merrily skipping past the gate a few minutes later. I grabbed her bag and led the four of us along one of the smaller paths leading away from the castle. Once we were properly out of sight, I opened a warp portal directly to our living room.

"Um, Lord Moreau?"

"Nope, none of that 'Lord' crap here."

"Um..."

"Alina, we need to talk about your future, but the immediate threat comes first. I need information."

"Yes, Sir."

"Guys, I messed up and caught the attention of that young noble. Foolishly demanding a duel ended up revealing my status and demonstrating my magic. Over the next several days, I have to teach her how to use magic."

"Boss, that's terrible. How could anyone make such an impossible demand? What's the plan?"

"Oh, the teaching part will be fine. The problem is, what if she gets hurt? What if she asks for more favors? What if she tells other nobles? I hate having to bow down to that child just because of her family. Just what has she done to earn that authority?"

"The teaching will be easy?"

"Not really the focus here, but yes, it'll be easy because she's a spoiled noble. Well, at least I assume that she is. Alina, who exactly is this girl? Could she be an adopted commoner? I want to know all of her secrets."

"Sir?"

"Just kidding, sort of. Just tell me what you can. And stop calling me 'Sir', it sounds fake at this point."

"Well, Lady Rutina is the count's daughter. His natural and oldest child, as far as I know."

"Oh, is she already married?"

"Only arranged and they haven't met in person."

"Then, why isn't she named 'Selmer'?"

"Um, Selmer is the name of the region. Anselm is the count's family name."

"Oh, so the count is actually 'Count Anselm'?"

"No, he's called the Count of Selmer. You really don't know this stuff, do you?"

"Nope, I thought small places would be named after the current ruler."

"Small? Is your family really that high up?"

"Huh? No. I'm not a noble. I'm a freman."

"A what?"

"Not serving any noble, a free man."

"Ah, a freeman."

"Right, like the actor not Dune. I should read my own card more carefully."

To the side, Alina asks the guys, "What is he talking about?"

Marcus casually answers, "Boss just does this sometimes. Don't worry about it."

(Wow, they really think I'm nuts... well, it's certainly a possibility.)

"Being a freeman should give me some protection, right?"

"Actually, being a freeman makes you even more vulnerable. A vassal generally has protection. A freeman often has none. In some ways, more vulnerable than a slave. Oh, I'm sorry, I went too far."

"No, I need to hear this. Please continue."

"Lady Rutina will be furious if she finds out that you aren't a noble."

"Nah, she found out just before the duel. Oh yeah, was the duel legal?"

"Yes, that's actually one of the things a freeman can do that other commoners can't."

"I was nervous when she... damn, what should I call her? No way in hell I want to keep saying 'Lady' and she has a weird name. How about I nickname her 'Rudi' or 'Tina'?"

"Oh no, David, you can't be so disrespectful."

"OK, 'Ojou-sama'. It's certainly polite though completely unusable here. I've seen it translated to 'Demoiselle' and it can even be used in English but it's too obscure."[3]

"...?"

"Fine, I'll call her 'Student' since that's what she'll be."

"Boss, are you sure a noble would allow that?"

"Well, she will allow it from her teacher, but you guys should avoid talking to her or only use polite language. By the way, I'll ask the two of you to be our vanguard — couldn't trust anyone else in an emergency. We must do our best to protect her... second to our own safety, of course."

"You can depend on us."

"Thanks, guys. I should talk to Alina. We've already burned through most of the morning anyway so go out later."

"First of all, Alina, I'd prefer if you wouldn't meet with Rutina before the teaching's over."

"I wasn't planning to, but understood."

"Next, let's talk about your future. Do you have a place you want to go? Family?"

"No, I've always lived in Selmer and have no family. Um, don't you want me here?"

"To be blunt, I'm not sure. I'm not comfortable around people who don't trust me. I never know when they might turn on me."

"I'm so, so sorry for not trusting you earlier, but I really do now. I'll do anything to prove it."

"Nope. Stop right there. Sex without trust is just manipulation. Besides, taking off your clothes would be distracting."

"Oh, with no women here, maybe..."

"No, that's not it, but let's just stay on topic. I'll explain the problem from my perspective since that may not be clear. The rescue was understandably terrifying and I can't blame you for being cautious, but after waking up safe, not tied up and free to go, you still couldn't trust me. That makes me feel uneasy."

"It... it was all just so unexpected."

"OK, but why trust me now? I could be fooling Rutina like I fooled you, right? Maybe that was my plan all along?"

"Uh, I don't know."

"Alina, are you still working for Rutina? I heard her give you some orders in Elvish. What did she tell you?"

"She made me promise not to tell anyone."

"Then you are still faithful to her."

"No, I mean, that's what she said. I'm not allowed to tell anyone about you."

"What? Why not?"

"Lady Rutina will never get permission from her father. She's obsessed about learning magic, but she's never allowed to take any risks."

"Hmm, well, I can't refuse a noble or accuse her of lying and if I tell on her, she could claim that I wronged her. Basically, I'm screwed."

"So you do understand nobles."

"Not directly, but I've heard stories. Why are you betraying Rutina now?"

"Actually, Lady Rutina never said not to tell you."

"It may seem strange to say this, but it's important that you didn't directly violate her orders. Even if it would be in my favor, it'd be harder for me to trust you."

"Also, Lady Rutina gave me to you, so she knows that I cannot disobey you."

"I really don't like all this talk of 'belonging'. You simply work for me."

"Yes, I understand — I must earn your trust."

"Damn, now I feel like a jerk."

"I'm sorry..."

"No, it's my fault, pretty much from start to finish. Let's just take it slow and learn to really trust each other."

[1] Count = Earl and it's a better match for the region. David hasn't read so far into the story to know that fan translations used Earl.
[2] I use "Mister" in place of the historically accurate "Master" since David hears Modern English, not Middle English.
[3] A manga translated to French might use "Demoiselle" for "Ojou-sama". The archaic meaning of Demoiselle fits Rutina quite well.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19: Practice

We went down to see that the guys were setting the table.

"Ah, thanks for making lunch."

"Sure thing, Boss. Figured you'd be hungry."

"Um, what's 'lunch'? Smells like meat."

"Boss likes to take mid-day breaks to eat. He calls them 'lunch'."

(I'd complain about being treated like a geriatric, but it's actually convenient.)

"Alina will stay with us."

"Welcome, Alina. Good that you could convince him."

Sound like collusion — best to ignore it.

"Anyway, since Alina will be one of us, may as well introduce her to the labyrinth."

"Um, what? The labyrinth? Isn't that too dangerous? I don't know how to fight."

"It'll be fine, trust me. Ha ha, sorry, but really, I promise. We'll start with the really easy stuff. Marcus and Theo are each way overqualified so having both of them in front and me on the side will be safer than walking through town."

"Um, OK, if you say so."

"Great, we'll use you as a test-dummy for Rutina."

"Hey!"

When we were all ready, I opened a warp portal in the living room.

"Um, David? Am I allowed to ask about that."

"It's a special movement magic called 'warp'. Top secret, but only one of several. I promise to explain later."

The warp was connected to a tree about 100 m from Vale's Labyrinth. I opened my item box and took out armor for myself and Alina.

"Here, put this on — safety first."

"Um, David, just how... never mind."

Alina looked to the guys who merely wore blank expressions. Next, I pulled out a spear.

"It's good to start out with a spear so you can keep your distance from the monsters and still be able to get in a few hits."

We walked to the entrance of the labyrinth, which Alina saw as... absolutely nothing special. So, this really is normal to the locals, not just Tuuli. Well, now that I think about it, it's not much different than Field Walker or my own warp portals so it was just new to me at the time.

Stepping inside and getting into proper positions, Alina remarked, "This looks much nicer than expected. The calm lighting and clean floors really help. Rutina described it as dark and scary with things jumping out at you from every direction."

"Oh, so Rutina has been to the labyrinths?"

"No, I don't think so."

Speaking of experience, I better check Alina's:

[Alina]
[Female, Age: 17]
[Villager: 4]

At least she has a higher level than the ojou-sama. Alina probably got EXP from doing normal work, which Rutina clearly has never done. She also has the Explorer job, of course, but let's keep it like this till Villager hits level five.

"Woah, what's that?"

"That walking tree is the monster of this floor. It's pretty slow but tough and hits quite hard. Let's stand back to watch Marcus and Theo take care of it."

Wack, wack, wack, poof.

"Um, that's it? It just went poof."

"Yep, and that little twig on the ground is the reward for this type of monster."

"Is it valuable?"

"Nope, nearly worthless. But, you get better stuff as you move to higher and tougher floors. This is basically all there is to fighting in the labyrinths. Pretty simple, huh? I guess we don't seem quite so cool anymore."

"Um..."

"OK, ready to take a few stabs? Stay between Marcus and Theo and just poke the monster when it feels safe to do so. I'll watch your back and can heal you if you get hurt."

I'll switch Knight to Monk — this really is good practice for teaching Rutina.

"Heal? Um, OK."

Poke, poke, ... poke, poke, poof.

"Yay, I got it!"

"Good work, Alina!"

Marcus mumbles, "Boss sure wasn't this sweet to us."

In a teasing voice, "Oh, do you want me to praise you too?"

"No, no, just a joke, Boss... please don't."

Of course, Marcus and Theo already had considerable experience, but I probably am guilty of favoring the cute, cat-eared girl.

We took out a few more trees till it seemed like Alina had really gotten used to it. Since her Villager job has reached level five, it's time to switch her job to Explorer. We can leave the discussion of job options till later.

"We shouldn't overdo it on your first trip, but it'd be good to see a second floor. Here in Vale, the next monster isn't good for beginners so let's go to Curatar's Labyrinth. That place is more crowded so don't be too surprised if we're suddenly close to other parties."

I opened a warp portal to Curatar's second floor and pulled Alina through.

Before she could ask the obvious question, "Yes, it's very special but looks normal on the outside so it's OK."

"This place looks pretty normal to me. Do all of the labyrinths looks like this?"

"Yes and never mind about the other thing."

Completely forgot that Alina wouldn't know about teleportation restrictions since she's only seen Field Walker.

"Anyway, on the second floor of this and every other labyrinth, monsters can appear in pairs. Here it's Olive Trees from this floor and Kobolds from the previous."

"Aah! What's that?!"

"That's a Kobold. It has a knife but it's probably the weakest monster in the labyrinths. The special thing is that it looks humanoid, well, and that it carries a weapon."

"It's really gross... can I kill it?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Poke, poke, poke poof.

"Ooh, that was easy. These things remind me of Jakob. Can I kill another?"

"Ha ha, yes, let's find some more."

After a while, Alina got tired of killing little, green 'Jakobs' so I opened a portal home.

"By the way, that warp thing you do seems pretty convenient."

"Yep, it's a great combination of Explorer's and Adventurer's movement magic."

"Will I be able to do that later?"

"Sorry, I'm the only one who can use warp."

"Um, what do you mean?"

"As far as I know, no one else can use this spell. It's one of my special skills."

"Um, I still don't really understand. Can you guys explain?"

Theo says, "No, not really. In fact, it's a complete mystery."

Hoping to get away from this uncomfortable topic, I'll distract with praise.

"Anyway, Alina, you did really well for your first time out... and good job to Marcus and Theo as well."

"Boss, you know I was joking, right?"

"OK, I'll stop being so nice."

Alina chimes in, "I don't mind you being nice."

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, time to tell her about the job change.

"Thanks, then, as a reward, you now have the Explorer job."

All three stop and just stare at me.

"Sorry, just kidding. I didn't actually give it to you — you earned it on your own."

Alina relaxes a bit, but the guys don't appear convinced.

"Go ahead and try. Think about 'Item Box'."

"Um, OK... huh? A chant just popped up in my head. Why? What's going on?"

"It's OK. It feels weird the first time, I mean, um, try to recite the chant."

"Oval where in countless treasures lie, unloose thigh latch um, item box open."

"Almost, but separate 'O vault' and push 'wherein' together. A bit harder to hear is that 'thigh' should be 'thy'. Try again, and say it with confidence."

"O val wearing ... O vault where in ... O vault wherein. Thy. Thy."

"Yep, sounds good. Go for it."

"O vault wherein countless treasures lie, unloose thy latch — Item Box, open!"

"Yay! I did it. I really did it. Um, I did, didn't I? You wouldn't tease me."

"Nope, it's real, look."

I quickly switched Monk back to Knight and opened her Status Card.

"See? There it is: Explorer. We can talk about your job options later. For now, you can carry your spear in your item box so it's always available."

"Oh, that is nice."

"It only works for labyrinth-related items and, of course, it will grow in levels with more work in the labyrinth."

"I thought changing jobs would be harder."

"Nope, that's all there is to it."

"Um, Boss, that's...?"

"Fine... I left out the minor detail that I just switched your job myself."

"..."

"It's no big deal, really. My way simply saves the time and expense of going to a guild temple."

"..."

"You're right, I'm not being fair. Marcus, you'll qualify to become a Knight before the end of the year. Will that be OK with you?"

"Um, I wasn't asking that... but, yes, that would be wonderful! Thank you, Boss!"

"Theo, I don't know as much the Swordsman job, but I don't think it leads to Knight. While we're with Rutina, I want to temporarily switch you to Explorer when we need to move inside the labyrinth. Later, we could switch you to Warrior so you could also qualify to become a Knight, switch back to Swordsman or even leave you on Explorer so that you could eventually become an Adventurer. The last one will take much longer, but it would be a useful combination for you and Marcus."

"This is um... Boss, you just say things like this like it's nothing. No, I'm sorry, that didn't come out right. I mean, can I get back to you later?"

"Sure and sorry to be so confusing."

Well, I failed again to make my unique, OP skills sound reasonable. Now that I think of it, I'll need to come up with a better story for Rutina. Maybe I could use a gimmick of some sort to obscure the actual job manipulation. Well, nothing could be more mystical than a crystal — other than the actual magic of this world. A crystal that gets destroyed in the process both looks cool and prevents later inspection. I don't have anything like that and anything I could buy could be recognized. So, I'll just have make one.

Time for a quick shopping trip and may as well be take care of another task.

"Not at all for the reason of getting out of this conversation, I'd like to check up on Nordselm. Won't take long but best not to take you there yet, Alina."

"OK, please be careful. I could prepare dinner while you're away."

"Really? That'd be great. Thanks, I'll be back in an hour or so."

"Um, Boss, please take us too."

"Right, good idea. Guys, please come with me, just in case."

I first warped us Curatar to find an apothecary. I'll just start with the real name and figure it out from there.

"Hello, do you sell alum? It's a..."

"Yes, indeed, Sir. How much do you need?"

"About a handful in a small sack. And maybe a small clump of some dried herb — something fragrant."

Cool, that was easy. I bought the ingredients and stopped by a bread stand to buy a couple sacks of cheap rolls. Done with the essentials, I took us just outside of Nordselm Village. Practically freezing up here, especially since I didn't think to bring my cloak.

It was fine to just pass out a few bread rolls to children last time, but these people aren't exactly starving and probably wouldn't appreciate me acting all savior-like. It's not like I'm opening up a soup kitchen, which would be better to do in Vale... if I wasn't so lazy or didn't mind getting recognized.

I tried to be a bit more social this time and introduced myself to a few of the locals, not just kids. I showed the bread rolls and tried to suggest some sort of trade, which they immediately understood and led me to one of the larger shacks. They gave me a small jug of their locally-produced mead — well, this place looks like they'd make mead. Anyway, it smelled like fermented honey.

One of the villagers seemed to be asking for some particular goods — I guess this place really is remote so goods are more useful than cash. I wrote an approximation of what he said into my wax notepad. Since non-dungeon items can't be stored in an item box and the bottles looked fragile, I decided to skip the labyrinth and just go home.

Dinner wasn't ready yet so I decided to start my new chemistry experiment. I grabbed another small pot to ruin, filled it about a quarter full of water, added some mead to add a little color. I heated this to a low simmer — nice smell. I stirred in a few spoon-fulls of alum a little at a time till it looked pretty much saturated. I poured this solution into a wooden bowl — didn't really need to ruin the pot. The clump of dried sage was suspended into the solution by a string tied to stick that placed across the bowl — brilliant feat of engineering, if I do say so myself.

I draped a cloth over the bowl for protection and went to join the others already seated at the table. Alina made a nice stew and made the others wait for me.

"Alina, I should explain that the reason I want you to get some experience in the labyrinth is in case we need to make a quick escape. If things go poorly with Rutina, especially if she gets hurt, we may need to move far from this area. That said, I honestly believe it will go well. The chance of Rutina getting hurt is close to zero. I just like to be prepared for the worst."

Well, that wasn't exactly the uplifting pep-talk it was meant to be — good thing I never planned on becoming a coach.

After dinner, Alina says, "David, can we talk more about my tasks?"

"OK, let's go upstairs. I still haven't put my stuff away."

Once upstair, Alina asks a bit anxiously, "David, do you trust me now?"

"Yes, I really do. I don't share my secrets easily."

"Good, because I trust you too."

"..."

"Oh, that sort of thing isn't a task."

"No, that was just a trick to get you up here."

"Ah. I appreciate your honesty."

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: Training

Day 18

So, now I've progressed from sleeping with my former slave to sleeping with my new employee. I'm pretty sure this qualifies as a compromising situation. The fact that she was willing, or even initiated the affair, isn't much of a defense. Just because it doesn't feel wrong doesn't make it right. Even if it's completely legal here, it still might be wrong.

Of greater significance than mere morality, Alina's tail didn't bother me. Well, maybe a little. The way it moved on its own was sort of creepy. I just tried to imagine that she had an extreme cosplay fetish... or that I did. Anyway, I know my tail-phobia seems a bit racist — or, um speciesist... wait, that can't be a real word... maybe 'humanist'. After all, humane treatment now sounds a bit suspect.

As I walked downstairs, Marcus called out, "Congratulations."

"Oh, you heard? Sorry, it was a bit unexpected."

"Maybe to you..." Alina mumbles.

Pretending not to hear that, I went to check on my experiment. The little sage clump had plenty of small, opaque alum crystals clung to it. I guess wine would have looked better but the mead still provides a bit of color and aroma. This should be ready tomorrow.

OK, I need Monk for healing but it'd be good to have Alchemist for shielding. For safety, it'd be good to have both so I should try to set a fifth job. Not going to sacrifice Durandal but since Mage is now at level 32, I might have enough bonus points. Yep, when I drop the junk skills, I now have:

[Mage: 32, Explorer: 33, Hero: 31, Monk: 10, Alchemist: 1]

Really don't know if I'll also need to teach theory but the magic system in this world is really simple. What else will she need to know? Right, almost forgot, "Alina, what does Rutina know about labyrinths? Do nobles get some formal education about them or about magic theory?"

"Going by the stories she's told me, whatever she thinks she knows will be all wrong. I've never heard her tutors even mention the existence of labyrinths. Not much about monsters or magic either. She rarely leaves the castle and that's always with chaperones for shopping or visiting relatives."

"Good to know, thanks."

It'll actually be good to have enough to talk about over the five days anyway. It'd be nice to have some charts and diagrams but just telling her bit-by-bit while hunting might even be better.

Munch, munch.

As we ate breakfast, I mentioned Rutina's deception regarding getting approval.

Marcus continued to eat as before, and simply responded with, "Yep."

I added, "It was Alina who told me this."

Theo responded with encouragement, "Oh, that's nice. Very good, Alina."

Alina asked in confusion, "Why do you seem happy about this?"

"Nah, we expected Rutina to lie but it's good you confided in us."

"Were you testing me?"

"...The count's position is so high that a sneak attack seems unlikely and this house isn't easy to find anyway. Of course, we must defend ourselves if attacked but do your best not to kill any of them unnecessarily. Alina, what can you tell us about the count?"

"I've only seen him a few times because he rarely leaves the throne room or his private chambers. Hardly anyone is granted audience and even Rutina needs permission to enter."

"How long has he been ill?"

"He doesn't exactly look healthy but I haven't heard anything special."

"So, he's a shut-in who's letting his territory go to ruin."

"David, what would you like me to do for the next few days?"

"It sort of depends on what you know how to do and would like to try. You could check the small field near the house and maybe plant some herbs or simple vegetables like cabbage. Otherwise, we haven't cleared out all of the rooms and we have some mending to do. But one good thing to do would be to go to the village square to look around. Maybe do some shopping."

"OK, I can do that."

"By the way, the villagers of Nordselm had some specific requests. I tried to write them down um, something like 'k-neevahs' and 'mayolo'."

Alina answered, "The first means 'knives' and the second is probably 'flour'."

"Yes, the guy pointed to the bread when he said that."

"This is really nice of you, David."

"They probably don't get many merchants out there and the village is on my way... so, anyway, we'll probably spend most of the day with Rutina. Hopefully back before it gets dark."

I warped the three of us to a spot in the forest near Selmer's Castle. I'll just make up some bogus story about using a shy Adventurer if they ask. As the castle came into view, we could see that Rutina's entourage was already waiting for us. Hope she doesn't complain about having to wait.

"Good morning, My Lady. Hope you haven't been waiting long."

"In public, you shall address me as Lady Rutina and I'll call you Lord Moreau, since that is traditional for a Mage. Anyway, let's get out of this rain and be on our way."

"Hello, Rolf. Have you been to Vale?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's you, never would have guessed. Yes, I've been to the adventurer's guild there."

We joined Rolf's party, and he opened an authentic Field Walker portal.

The guild building here is rather small and too loud at this hour so we went out to some nearby benches.

"Good morning everyone. Brunhild, I recognize you as the marshal for my duel. Rolf we know from being transported to Selmer. Marcus and Theo will be our vanguard. Now that we know each other, let's make sure everyone knows their role in this party. I am the party leader and am thus in charge. Social rank is secondary to this."

As expected of a Knight, Brunhild objects, "That's ridiculous."

Rutina ignores her, "Yes, of course, Lord Moreau."

"Lady Rutina, it is unwise to use formal titles in the labyrinth, especially while you are just a beginner. First names would of course be improper, so I suggest that we are 'Student' and 'Teacher'. Do you accept this?"

"I expected even worse so this is fine."

"The others should also avoid using your title but I leave the details to you. Maybe something in Elvish. Brunhild, your primary duty is obviously to protect Lady Rutina as a rear guard but you will otherwise be expected to follow my orders. Do you understand?"

With a nod from Rutina, Brunhild grunts in vague affirmation. I don't really expect her to do much anyway, as long as she doesn't get in the way.

"Rolf, you will usually stay outside the labyrinth. If we don't come back on time, it is your responsibility to seek help, not to look for us on your own."

Rolf shrugs.

"There are many things to explain about magic and labyrinths but it's better to get started as soon as possible. If there are no questions, let's go."

As we walked to Vale's Labyrinth, I took the opportunity to take a closer look at our new party members.

[Brunhild]
[Female, Age: 38]
[Knight: 5]

Hmm, this is interesting. In addition to the expected Villager, Swordsman and Warrior jobs, it seems that this Knight has a dark past as a former Thief. Good to see that she isn't a Bandit, but her Thief level is five. It could still be that she just took some old shoes but she had the job for a while. Well, she was trusted enough to be given a job change.

[Rolf]
[Male, Age: 51]
[Adventurer: 12]

Rolf is like a mildly racist taxi driver who has the professionalism to accept any customer who pays. I get the impression that he's served Rutina before and seems to like her... in a non-creepy way. Rolf has a clean record with just the expected jobs leading to Adventurer.

Arriving at the entrance, we agree to meet Rolf around noon — maybe I could introduce the concept of lunch to noble society. If I were really worried, Rolf should remain here in case of emergency. Of course, if it got that bad, I'd just warp us out directly.

"Do you have a Magic Crystal?"

"Huh?"

"Here, I'll give you one of mine. Keep it with you whenever you're in the labyrinths."

"What does it do?"

(Geez, what a noob.)

"It will accumulate the power from the monsters you slay. It can eventually be sold or used to power some particular items."

"Oh, I know about those."

"Good. Let's go in now."

"Um, Teacher, shouldn't you explain what to expect in there before we start?"

"That would certainly be wise before entering a dangerous place, but it's safe here, so that's completely unnecessary."

"But still..."

"Let's just go in now. If it feels too dangerous, we'll turn around and walk right back out."

"Alright."

I'll never admit how scared I was the first time, but jumping in really is the best thing to do here. She'll either see that it's really OK or decide against becoming a Mage. If I could treat Rutina like a regular person, Alina could join in both as a comfort and to have them practice together. It's probably good that I can't because I'd want to prioritize Alina's safety over Rutina's.

"We're on the first floor so only one monster will approach at a time. They are easy to see and slow-moving. How are you feeling so far?"

"I'm OK. How far do you lights reach?"

"Is it all lit up like this? I expected it to be dark in here. Even the floors and walls are clean."

Soon, a tree was kind enough to participate in the lesson by falling before our dependable vanguard. Rutina looked on in total fascination — this was probably her very first time seeing anything like this. I cast Plating on her and we continued down the hall to the next demonstration.

After a few of these, the lesson proceeded in much the same way as Alina's. Rutina dutifully poked at a tree till it went 'poof'. We repeated this many more times with Rutina working silently. She wore a serious look on her face like she didn't want to miss a single moment of the experience. How diligent.

After a couple hours, Rutina stopped to ask, "Teacher, am I doing well?"

"Yes, Student, you are doing very well. This is valuable experience which will help fuel your Mage Core."

"Mage Core?"

"Yes, it's what allows nobles, and a few commoners, to use magic. It might have a different name here."

"Oh, the special potion that we drink when young. Is that what makes a Mage Core?"

"Exactly. If you continue to make good progress, it should awaken soon, maybe even tomorrow."

"Are you sure about this? I've never heard anyone talk about it this way."

"I can't guarantee that it will work for you, but we will know soon. Even if it doesn't work, you will have lost nothing but a little time. If nothing else, you have gained the experience of fighting in the labyrinth. By the way, take a look at your magic crystal."

"Oh, it's red now."

"As you know, red isn't very powerful yet but it is getting stronger — exactly like you will."

Hope that was a reasonable balance between encouraging and patronizing but I am both her elder and her teacher. I guess it was good because Rutina went back to work with renewed vigor. Of course mage core was just a term I'd read in a light novel — one that I will never get to finish — but I thought that a cool name might help. Other than the name, most of what I said was basically true.

Rutina needs to reach Villager level five to qualify for the Mage job and what she's doing is the way to make that happen. Of course, I'm just assuming that she was given the special potion as a child but even the lack of a guarantee was true.

"It's time to take a break and to check in with Rolf."

I switched Theo to Explorer and had him take us near the entrance. When we walked out, Rolf was nearby, as promised. We walked towards town till we found a bench, which just happened to be near a food stand. Me, the guys and even Rolf had some but the women just sat there looking a bit repulsed... until Rutina sent Brunhild to buy a couple for them.

Rutina asked, "Are all labyrinths like this?"

"They all look the same but the monsters can appear in a different order."

Noticing that wasn't enough, I continued.

"Every floor of a labyrinth is home to a specific type of monster, but the monsters from earlier floors can show up too. The exact same set of monsters can be found in the first eleven floors of every labyrinth but these might be in a different order. It's on the first floor Needlewood here but Kobold on the first floor of Curatar, etc."

"Is that the only difference?"

"Another notable difference is with the people who are exploring that labyrinth. Some are too crowded and others may even be home to brigands. We started in Vale because it's young and calm."

"What's an old labyrinth like?"

"An older labyrinth can be safe as long as it's taken care of. Otherwise, it can be very dangerous."

"Have you ever seen one of these bad labyrinths?"

"Yes. Nordselm."

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Honesty

"What? Teacher, are you telling me that there's something wrong with the labyrinth of our Nordselm?

« Frouwa Rutina... » Brunhild tried to interrupt, but was waved off.

"Yes, I do indeed mean Nordselm's Labyrinth in the County of Selmer. Well, I can only say that it appears to have been neglected."

That was perhaps a bit too much, at least for Brunhild. "Labyrinths are just playgrounds. Anything else is just propaganda. How dare you utter such blatant lies to Her Lady!"

"No, Brunhild, I am not lying to my student. More importantly, I didn't ask for your opinion so stop interfering."

"Brunhild, no more interruptions. Please continue, Teacher, what could happen?"

"Eventually, a neglected labyrinth will overflow. The monsters will escape, attack the local residents and ultimately destroy the entire region if left unchecked."

"My House strongly disagrees but I have heard similar warnings from others. More specifically, what makes you say that Nordselm's Labyrinth has been neglected?"

"The monsters are stronger than usual here and there is no evidence that anyone else is attempting to suppress this labyrinth."

"So, is this what you were doing when you found Alina?"

"Yes, we were just exiting the apparently neglected labyrinth when we heard Jakob and his crew mercilessly assaulting the helpless Alina."

"With the way you phrase your answers, I can see how some people might become angry."

"Diplomacy is not my best quality."

With break-time over, I asked Rolf to meet us here in three hours and we headed back to the labyrinth.

"What next, Teacher?"

"Time to step up the difficulty level. Every floor of every labyrinth ends in a Boss Room. This is where a party must defeat a stronger version of that floor's monster. The boss must be defeated to gain access to the next floor. The important detail is that the boss room locks so that either the party or the boss must be defeated before it opens again."

"That sounds, um, what? Locked in?"

"Yes, it does sound bad and some bosses are dangerous. Fortunately, this one isn't. With us here, it'll be easy. In fact, only the most foolish would fall to such a weak boss."

"OK, I'm ready."

We entered and I asked Theo to take us near the end of this floor.

"We're coming up to the Waiting Room. As the name suggests, parties wait here for their turn to enter the boss room, which is beyond the next door. No one else is waiting so the door should open soon."

...

"OK, it's our turn so let's go inside. It's perfectly fine to stay back and observe. This boss hits hard enough to cause injury though instant death is highly unlikely."

"Pretty sure most people would simply say that it will be OK."

"I'll take that as a compliment of my honesty. Anyway, here it comes."

The boss tree appears out of the smoke. The vanguard suppresses it and Rutina bravely takes a few pokes before it turns back into smoke and disappears. To avoid any uncomfortable questions or consequences, I fetch the leaf myself.

"Good job everyone. Student, you may wish to keep this leaf — Herbalists can turn it into antidote pills. The pills are inexpensive but the leaf is a reminder that some defeated monsters drop useful items, especially bosses. We ignored the twigs earlier but even they have some value to struggling parties."

"Seems like you've had many students."

"Well, it's not my first time. Anyway, as you can see, the exit is now open to us. It is a portal to the second floor. Trying to re-enter the boss room will send you out of the labyrinth, which we don't want to do now."

"So, a new monster?"

"Exactly: Green Caterpillar. It's huge, ugly and can spit sticky thread which can hold you in place. They're slow moving and don't hit as hard as the Needlewoods, but the thread makes them more dangerous. This floor shows the importance of a party. If you get hit by that thread, you're likely to die without help."

"So much for this place being as safe as walking outside."

"Considering that they can come in groups of two, I guess that's true."

"So, it will just keep getting worse and worse."

"Pretty much, but this is why having a Mage in the party is so important. To manage higher floors, a Mage is nearly as important as a healer."

"Healers are more important?"

"Yes, but since practically anyone can acquire one of the healer jobs, a Mage is more cherished. A party might have two Priests but two Mages would probably be seen as wasteful for any but the strongest parties on the highest floors. Even though that situation is very far off, I'll give you a quick demonstration of the things you'll soon be able to do."

I switch off chant omission and ask the guys to stand down. When a cooperative slug starts its magic circle to fire off its string, I raise a firewall to block it. I was barely in time since I'm not used to chanting. I acted like I did that on purpose for the dramatic effect. Actually, it was good for Rutina to see the slug perform its spit.

"Wall spells are usually defensive like this, but can also be used to surprise, as you saw me do during the duel. The down-side is that you can only have one spell active at a time. There are three spell forms for each of the four basic elements..."

"Teacher, I know the basics."

"Ah, good that you told me. I may have gone on to explain every combination. Was that part of your general education?"

I motioned to the guys to take over the attack.

"Yes, but my tutors only spoke of what could be done, not how."

After squishing the slug, I asked Theo to bring the drop.

"Student, this monster usually drops the thread needed to make a « mésange » um, I mean cord."

I couldn't remember what the manga used for 'friendship bracelet', but it obviously wasn't a type of bird. Good that I happened to see the translation for the one Rutina is wearing. Wait, she's just wearing a normal, useless one.

"One of those silly decorations?"

"Well, good ones protect their wearer from a lethal attack."

"Oh! Is that what I have?"

"Safer to assume that it isn't. Anyway, please resume your practical training. Brunhild, I expect that you'll be able to block caterpillar spit with your shield."

With the student quietly back to poke-poke, I checked her status. She's reached level five and now has the Mage job available. Well, she also has Merchant, Warrior and already had Explorer but seeing Mage is certainly a relief.

If the gimmick is ready, I'll switch her to Mage tomorrow, even if that's ahead of schedule.

After a while, it felt that we had done enough and I had Theo take us back towards the gate.

"Student, I feel confident that your Mage Core can be fully activated tomorrow. It's best that you're well rested before that so we should end here."

"Teacher, I am very happy to hear this. But, um, can we have a little chat on the way back?"

"Sure. I'll help in any way I can."

"Brunhild, give us some privacy."

"My Lady, um, Miss..."

"Never mind that. Just stay back and keep watch from a distance. I have a few confidential matters to discuss with my teacher."

This sounds serious. I found a nearby log for us, while keeping proper social distance, of course.

"Teacher, I wish to speak candidly. Please do me the honor of speaking to your student honestly."

"Happily."

"Why haven't you asked for my father's letter of approval?"

"Because it's irrelevant. If you get hurt, no document could protect me."

"Do you believe that I have his approval?"

"No, I do not."

"Then, why did you agree to teach me? Was it just because a noble asked you?"

"Partly, but not how you might guess. I want nobles to fight the labyrinths."

"I don't completely understand why, but let's ignore that. Can you really help me become a Mage?"

"We'll see soon."

"Hmph, bad answer. Let's meet here in Vale tomorrow instead of Selmer. Ah, I see Rolf now. See you tomorrow, Teacher."

I had the guys help me buy several large sacks of flour and pick out several knives which could be used to butcher, skin, or chop. We also got a smoked ham and warped back home.

"Eek!"

"Sorry, Alina, didn't mean to startle you. I wanted to bring back a big ham, but this was the best I could find."

I walked to the kitchen to hang up the 3 kg ham, and check on my chemistry experiment. Carefully pulling back the cloth revealed a nice clump of pale-yellow crystals. This looked really good, but could be even better.

Pyrotechnics came to mind, but a bit too late and potentially dangerous — wouldn't want a repeat of Heisenberg's mercury fulminate incident.[1] Well, a little powder for a puff and ceremonial scent should do it. Might add a little resin tomorrow so it doesn't fall apart too soon.

Looks like I'd gathered spectators, "Do we have a mortar and pestle?"

Alina showed me and I got some dried mint. After grinding to a fine powder, I pulled up the alum ball and gently dusted it with the mint. Could've just used ash but looks better like this. I hung the ball over an empty bowl to dry overnight. I don't know if the resin will be needed, but may as well collect some while I have daylight.

"I'm going to make a quick trip to the forest. I won't be gone long, but you're welcome to follow."

As expected, everyone got ready for the great trek of a couple hundred meters to the edge of the forest. More pine and fir than spruce, but otherwise, this felt a lot like home... um, my old home. Most of the sap was too wet and a sticky gimmick would be tacky, so to speak. Found a pine tree with some dried stuff so I scraped some off and headed back.

As soon as we got back inside, Alina practically exploded, "I can't take it anymore! What is all this for?"

"Oh, glad you asked, which you could have done at any time. I'm preparing for the ritual of turning Rutina into a Mage."

"Oh, can you really do that?"

"Yes, but only because she's already fulfilled the requirements. I can't actually grant jobs, only switch them, like I did for you."

"But you need that um, thing because Mage is a special job?"

"Nope, not at all. What I'm making here is just to cover up my job-switching skill."

"Huh?"

"I'll use a little ritual to draw attention away from me and this object will be my excuse for why I can't just turn everybody into a Mage."

"Um, why not just let her change jobs at a guild temple?"

"Too much bother and boring. OK, it's really because a guild temple might require permission and it's boring."

"You really seem to enjoy tricks and deception for someone so honest."

"I guess so, but why let the bad guys have all the fun?"

We enjoyed an early, simple dinner.

"I'd like to make a quick trip to Nordselm before it's dark. Alina, would you mind coming with us? I'd like your help with interpretation. Afterwards, we could go to the labyrinth. We're still on the lower floors so it's safe enough for you."

She readily agreed so we suited up, grabbed the trade goods and warped to a tree near the village. Only a light drizzle this time but still noticeably colder than our house.

A few local kids saw us and greeted, « ■■■■ ■■■ Dawit. »

I tried to copy the accent and asked for the guy I spoke to earlier, « Bernhard? »

How do people manage without an Identify skill like mine?

We were led to the same hut as last time. Alina talked to Bernhard, who sounded quite pleased with what we brought. Hard to imagine that 15 kg of flour would be enough for even a small village, but Bernhard acted like it was almost too much. We got eight wooden bowls, a bunch of spoons and even a ladle. A good deal, considering the labor cost, but then another guy brought in a small keg of mead. This felt like too much, but Alina advised me to take the deal. She certainly understood these people better, especially since I couldn't understand more than a few words of their conversation.

Now with more exposure, I felt more certain that Elvish was Germanic but on the soft side, like English. In contrast with Valic, it felt like I could learn enough of this for simple trade. I should talk to Alina about it.

We celebrated the deal with more mead from a small jug. I drank just enough to be polite and then we headed off to the labyrinth. Once inside, I opened a portal long enough to off-load our haul at home and then we stayed for a while to fight in the labyrinth.

"According to my notes, we're fighting rabbits on the third floor. The other monsters are goats and trees so nothing to worry about. The monsters here are a bit stronger than usual but nothing extreme."

"OK, I'm ready."

We stayed for an hour at a modest pace so we didn't reach the boss room before it was time to return home.

"OK, how about baths? Interested?"

Alina, asked, "Um, won't baths take too long to prepare?"

"Nah, not as a Mage. It's just a couple moderately sized tubs anyway." More quietly to Alina, "You're welcome to go before, after or with me. I'm OK with whichever."

I could almost hear H.R. storming the building, but Alina wouldn't be the one to call them. I could only hope that Alina trusted my words, not that I didn't have a preference.

"Um, with you then."

The guys moved my tub, for a bit of privacy for us and them, while I filled and heated their tub. I was pretty tired by the time I finished the second tub but felt better when Alina arrived.

[1] That's Heisenberg of Breaking Bad, not the uncertainty principle.

Chapter Text

Chapter 22: Half Truths

Day 19

Went down before breakfast to check on my science-fair project. Looks great but some resin would be good for stability. I lit the stove — we'd need it for breakfast soon — and fetched a piece of scrap metal to avoid messing up another pan. Theo came out to start cooking while I warmed up the sap scrapings.

I only heated it till it softened, but it was still too hot and icky to work with easily. I ended up using a small stick for most of it with a little touch-up with wet fingers. Not perfect but certainly not bad. Crushing this thing will certainly give off an interesting mixture of smells. I hung up the orb for the final drying and joined the others for breakfast.

For some odd reason, Alina is staring at me, and not in a good way.

"Um, something wrong, Alina?"

"David, you're starting to look a little scraggly. When was the last time you went to the barber?"

"Um, quite a while, I guess. Haven't really thought about it."

"Your hair is OK but your beard is uneven. Stay here and I'll fetch a good knife."

"Do you know what you're doing?"

"Of course I do. Just sit still."

I don't have a beard but I guess my uneven stubble might look a bit weird, especially if I'm trying to look upper-class. Alina rather quickly evened out my hair and shaved my cheeks smooth — didn't even need alum. She spared my fledgling mustache. She patted my face with a little oil and mint, like a professional, I assume.

"Thanks, Alina. That's much better."

"Yes, much more presentable."

"Right, that reminds me, it would be good to make Rutina's magic orb look valuable and protect it during transport. Any suggestions?"

Theo fetched an old, wooden box he'd found earlier. Alina cut a bit of fancy-looking cloth to use as cushioning and flair.

"Looks great, thanks."

With some excitement, I opened a portal to an alley near Vale's adventurer's guild. We reached the benches just before the others arrived.

"Good morning everyone. Let's get started. Rolf, we'll check in around noon."

Rolf took off and the rest of us walked to the labyrinth. Once inside, I had Theo take us to one of the quieter areas we'd identified earlier.

"OK, Student, did you sleep well? Do you have any unusual feelings or sensations?"

"I slept well and feel quite energetic. I guess my hands are a bit sore too. It may sound silly but I feel like I may have gotten stronger."

"Great and that sensation is just as expected. It's time to activate your Mage Core. Are you ready?"

"OK, sure. What do I do? Do I need my wand?"

"No wand yet. The next step will be quite special."

I pulled out the junky box that had been in my family since this morning and opened it to reveal the impressive but utterly mundane orb. Picking it up gingerly by the string — maybe I should've cut that off — I showed it to Rutina as if it were a cherished item.

"Oh, I have never seen anything like it. It's beautiful."

"This item will help facilitate your transition. It's not dangerous but it is quite delicate and should not be touched directly before the ritual."

As expected, Brunhild interjects, "My Lady, this could be a trap. I shall check it first."

"No, Brunhild, I trust my teacher. Besides, he wouldn't need to resort to tricks to harm me. Even you must realize that the two of us would be no match for the three of them."

"Thanks, I guess. Anyway, as a Mage, I can stay with you but the others should back up a few steps. Of course, this is for their own safety."

Brunhild glowers but stays put.

"Now that we're all set, I'll place the item on the ground. After the short incantation, crush it under foot. Not too soon — be ready."

"Break it?"

"Yes, it can only be used once."

"I understand and I'm prepared."

In a loud, clear voice, I evoke Merlin's words of power:

« Annal Anthrax // Ulnas Béton // DuLac Flamme »[1]

"Now!"

Rutina dutifully crushed the orb with a satisfying crunch to release a little puff of nice fragrances. At same time, I changed her job to Mage, as promised.

"Did it... dit it work?"

"Yes, I think it did, but let's do a real test. Concentrate on a spot away from the others and think about 'firewall'."

"Um... Ah! There it is! The incantation. I know it. I heard you say it before, but now I really know it."

"Good, go ahead and try it. I'm here for support."

FWOOM! Up goes Rutina's firewall. Like a well-educated noble, Rutina got it right on her first try.

"Yes! It worked! I really did it! Finally, I'm a real... oh, my head. I'm... I'm getting dizzy."

"It's OK. You're alright. This is perfectly normal after your first spell. Just try to relax."

Brunhild shouts in fury, "You fiend! What have you done?!"

Expecting this, my guys calmly restrain Brunhild as I support the barely conscious Rutina.

"How dare you touch Her Lady!"

In a calm but dismissive voice, "Oh, do shut up, Brunhild. I told you before, do not interfere with my teaching."

Are my actions appropriate for a teacher? No. Then again, I'm not actually her teacher. I'm Rutina's coach. A coach to catch her when she falls. I'm here until she can manage on her own. Mana depletion has a strong emotional component and right now, she needs this crutch. I've experienced what she's feeling now and it's truly terrible.

I motioned to Theo and he used Dungeon Walker to bring us near the entrance. I helped Rutina out while the guys escorted Brunhild. I sat Rutina down on a nearby log but stayed close so she wouldn't just fall over. Brunhild finally stopped struggling, but continued to glare at me. Of course, I could understand her side of this. To Brunhild, I was unworthy of even speaking to Her Lady.

"I'm so sorry. Sorry that I doubted you. Maybe I never truly believe any of it. I knew it'd all just be a trick... I'll never be able to..."

"Shh, it's OK. Depleting your Mage Core can hit you with intense, negative emotions. They can be almost overwhelming. Fortunately, they're only temporary, quickly fading to apathy and then full recovery. It's important to remember these feelings. You must learn to recognize them for what they are: warning signs to stop using magic. If they hit you in combat, get to safety and try to keep calm. If you need to quickly rejoin the battle, take a strengthening potion to clear your head. Otherwise, resist those feelings and they will be weaker next time."

"I feel a little better now."

"Your new Mage Core is still small and easily drained. We'll rest a bit now and go back later to continue without magic. Defeating monsters physically will help restore your magical power and expand your core so you'll gradually be able to use more magic before getting tired."

"My Lady, this man..."

"Brunhild, I understand your concern, but you've been told to back off. Do I need to send you away?"

"No, My Lady. I am here to serve you."

Well, I certainly didn't make a friend today, not that Brunhild was much of a fan before. More importantly, my lessons with Rutina can already be considered a success. I'll help her power-level to a point that her Mage job can actually be useful. Helpfully, she'll soon start to help clean up the terrible mess in her father's territory.

"Teacher, I'm ready to go back in."

I had Rutina restart her spear attacks on the first floor, but we moved to the second floor after the first hour. By lunch time, Rutina's Mage job had reached level 3. We left the labyrinth and met up with Rolf. Marcus and Theo went together to bring back enough meat-skewers for everyone — I should ask for a commission.

"You seem to be feeling much better now."

"Yes, I feel great, actually."

"Good, then would you like to try using a bit more magic this afternoon? We'll try to keep a moderate pace so you shouldn't feel like you did before."

"Yes, Teacher, I'm ready to do more."

"Good. Let's go back then. See you in a few hours, Rolf."

We went back to the first floor just to keep it simple.

"Let's stick with fire but switch to single target attacks. This time, think about 'fireball'. When you have the spell in your mind, aim it at the monster."

"OK, got it."

"Fire away."

Boom. Rutina's fireball hit true and the tree was set ablaze... but not defeated.

"Feeling alright?"

"Yes, Teacher. I'm fine."

"Good. Use your wand this time and take another shot. If you feel OK, you can take another shot after that, but make sure to pause in between to make sure you're still feeling strong enough."

Boom, boom, boom, poof.

"Hah, I did it. I'm tired, but it doesn't hurt like before."

"You're making wonderful progress, but let's switch back to physical attacks for a while."

This isn't a lie, Rutina actually is doing well. It feels like she's putting her heart into fighting both with magic and spear. We continue like this while having her occasionally switch back to magic. Eventually, Rutina seems to be losing focus so we stop a bit early and walk back to the benches near the adventurer's guild.

"Thank you so much, Teacher. It's amazing that it's only been two days, but more than anything, I'm just so relieved that it worked at all."

"Happy to hear it, but your level of commitment was the key. You've used a lot of magical energy so it would be best to stop here. Avoid using any spells tonight if at all possible."

"Good, I'm too tired today anyway."

Right on cue, Rolf walked out of the guild building and took Rutina and Brunhild away. The guys followed me around the corner and we warped back home.

Alina was surprised but fortunately not startled this time.

"You're back early. Did it work out or should we pack up?"

"O ye of little faith."

"Huh?"

"It worked just fine. Rutina got her Mage job and has started using spells."

Marcus jumps in, "It didn't just work, it was fantastic! Boss did some amazing chant in a weird language and everything. Even knowing the truth, it still felt real."

Theo adds, "That ritual honestly caught us by surprise. Lady Rutina must have been convinced."

"Ha ha, happy to hear it. Seems like it was worth the effort."

"David, what chant did you use?"

"Annal Anthrax..."

"No, wait, I didn't mean for you to do it here."

"Haha, don't worry, it doesn't actually do anything."

"Really, you just made it up?"

"No. I saw it in a... ah, never mind. It's just something I heard a long time ago."

"I'm sorry, David. Theo warned me that you didn't like to talk about yourself. I didn't mean to pry."

"Nah, that's not it. ... OK, it's true that I don't talk about my past, but that's more for your sake."

"Is it really that bad?"

"No, not at all. There are just some things I can't explain. If asked, you can honestly report that I didn't tell you."

"Uh, asked by who."

"Anyone in power. The point is, I may need to disappear on short notice. I won't force any of you to come with me."

"David, I have no family and don't want to return to Selmer — I'll follow you."

"Us too, Boss. We might want to venture out someday, but not now."

"Glad to hear it and I'll try to behave myself. Speaking of nobles, what do we know about the Duke of Harz?"

The guys just shrug but Alina responds, "Not much really, except that he's married to Lady Rutina's sister, Cassia."

"So the count is the duke's father-in-law?"

"No, Lady Rutina and the duchess aren't actually sisters, just cousins. I think the count and the duke are related in some way too."

"Now I wish I hadn't asked."

Alina and Theo went back to making dinner. Marcus tended to the weapons and I pretended to do something useful too. Of course, nobody actually expected me to do anything but I liked to pretend. In all honesty, I was exhausted after dealing with little Rutina all day. She's a great student and has been quite humble for a noble — well, after having forced me into this. Still, having to always be on my guard and keep secrets is tiresome.

After dinner, I didn't really feel like going on a night dungeon visit so I just continued to relax. Alina eventually joined me.

[1] Badly mangled Charm of Making from a movie David saw on late-night TV.

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: Nordselm

Day 20

After being so lazy yesterday, I felt like going for a quick run at dawn. Alina came along and wanted to race. Her start was really fast, but I soon caught up with her. By 40 meters or so, she passed me with relative ease but then completely ran out of energy around 150 m. Interesting to know if this pattern is common for cat-kin vs humans... or, more importantly, if it's OK to ask such questions here. I chose not to since Alina seemed a bit sour about losing. I may have stepped on her pride.

Breakfast was ready when we got back. Alina's irritation gradually faded but I expect she'll eventually demand a rematch. I went with the guys to Vale for Rutina's third day of magic training.

"Good morning Teacher. What will we do today?"

"We'll move on to other elements and continue to strengthen your mage core."

We went to the labyrinth where Rutina learned and practiced the ball and wall forms of the remaining elements. Her spear-work also improved. The weapon didn't have MP recovery, but it was still good to rest a bit. Deciding to leave the multi-target storm spell till after lunch, we took a break — just bread and water this time.

"Let's talk about equipment. It's important to have a physical weapon and a spear allows you to stay safe but it takes time to switch with a wand. A reasonable compromise is to use a magical staff or rod."

"Maybe it's silly to ask but do I actually need a wand? It didn't feel any different from casting magic just with my hands."

"You're right, your hands are enough and it's good to practice that way. The main difference is that a wand or similar device gives your spells more power. The feeling is similar, but the spells do more damage. Besides that, a magical weapon might have skills to make the spells even more powerful or help with recovery. Those special weapons are really expensive though maybe you can find something in your family's treasury."

"OK, I'll try using a staff."

"Your armor is good but there some special gear for mages that could help with recovery or attack power. Also, it's very good for a Mage to have a Cord of Substitution. You can't take hits like a member of the vanguard. Some might say that nobles should wear one of these at all times."

I finally found the official name by checking what the fancy elves were wearing.

"That's a lot to look into but I'll seek advice for my family."

"Yes, that's perfect. Lastly, the most important factor for survival and success is your party. A strong vanguard to keep you safe. A good healer to protect you and everyone else. Faithful party members that won't leave you behind. I know all this may be obvious and goes outside of magic education but a Mage cannot work solo."

"I have people I can rely on, like Brunhild."

"Fantastic. If you're ready, let's go back in and try out some multi-target spells. These are very useful at higher levels but can be risky because the magical power consumed depends on the number of monsters present."

Rutina tried some storm spells on the second floor. It was a bit surprising to see her nerd-out even worse than I did. Of course she tried to suppress it but the sheer joy leaked through. This was really rewarding as her teacher and fellow nerd.

Alas, the end of the day had come. We left the labyrinth and met up with Rolf.

"Teacher, I used more magic today but feel less tired. Am I making good progress?"

"Yes, you certainly are. In fact, you're ahead of schedule so I'd like to take you to Nordselm tomorrow."

Brunhild noticeably flinched, but seems to have learned to stay quiet. Even if she's just doing her job, I'll be happy not to have to deal with her much longer.

"Oh, do you... yes, of course, I am ready."

"Great. Would it be more convenient to meet in Selmer or maybe Bode?"

"No, no, here is good."

"Hello, we're home."

"Welcome back, dear."

Alina sure seems to have have settled in quickly.

"We're planning to take Rutina to Nordselm tomorrow so I'd like to make sure everything's OK over there. Want to come with us?"

"Yes, I just finished gardening so I'm ready to go."

"Good, put on your armor and a cloak. I'd like to have some rabbit meat tonight anyway."

As soon as everyone was ready, I opened a portal to a tree near the village. This place is cold and wet as usual but at least the ice patches have melted. We walked in to the village and went directly to Bernhard's place. Alina translated some questions about their current status. They still had plenty of fancy flour and were in no special need to trade, which I sort of expected. More important to me, it seems that no strangers, other than us, had visited them recently.

With that, I passed some bread rolls just to be friendly and we went to the labyrinth. Stepping inside, I warped us directly to where we left off on the third floor. We fought trees, goats and rabbits till we reached the boss room, with no line, of course.

"OK, this should be a Fast Rabbit. As the name suggests, it's really quick and may suddenly jump at your neck. I'd like to try this one alone with my sword. Of course, we could come back here for you to practice, if you want."

"Did you fight these in Vale, Boss?"

"No, first time... but I've read about them."

I'm tempted to just tell them that I'd read this stuff back in my old world, but the alternative explanation that I'm suffering from partial amnesia is strong enough to even make me doubt myself. Heck, even claiming to be a psychic would be more plausible. Regardless, my excuse will look especially odd if they figure out that I'm functionally illiterate in what seems to be my native language.

The vicious, killer-rabbit glared menacingly at us, which seems quite reasonable since we've invaded its home to kill it. It jumped at me before a clean hit from Durandal at Hero speed reduced it to a puff of smoke. This immersive simulation is absolutely awesome! Got a slab of rabbit meat... lying on the ground. Meh, I'll just wash it off.

The others looked a bit surprised for moment but shrugged it off. Both of the guys have fast-movement skills, after all. My Overwhelming skill from my Hero job may be a bit faster, but it's probably weirder to see anything like this done by a Mage.

"I'd like to loop around and get another chunk of meat for dinner. Of course, I could hold back and let someone else take it."

"Nah, maybe next time, right, Theo?" "Sure, next time."

I fought the re-spawned fast rabbit and got more meat. Time to get home but decided to drop by Curatar to get some milk and stale bread — this weather has inspired me to make something special.

"Go relax everybody, it's my turn to make dinner."

That seemed to be the most shocking thing Alina has heard me say, "Want some help?"

"Sure. You can chop."

"What are we making?"

"Depends on how it turns out."

"How about if I take over?"

"Trust me, it'll be fine. Start by cutting the bread into thin strips."

I pulled out the slabs of rabbit meat and added some ham to improve the fat level. I started cutting the meat into thin strips while heating up some old bacon grease.

"Hey, you actually know what you're doing," Alina teased.

"I try to lower expectations so normal looks good. Do you know how to make cheese curds?"

"Of course. Should I use all of the milk?"

"Yep. The vinegar and straining cloth are over there."

I started frying the bread strips and got a large platter for them. Flipping the meat, it was time to start making a simple gravy with some of the bacon grease and flour.

"The cheese is ready."

"Great, please grab the pickled cabbage and call the guys in to wash up. It'll be ready in a few minutes."

I spread the curds on the fried bread strips and finished making the gravy. Then, I stacked the fried meat onto a separate platter and poured the finished gravy over the curd-covered bread strips.

"« Voilà. Poutine au pain frit. » Which means, um, 'Cheesy Fried Bread', since I can't make normal fries. Anyway, dig in!"

Alina lets slip, "Oh David, sorry for leaving too soon. I could've helped more."

"Ha ha, no, it's supposed to look like this. Try it, it's good."

Marcus jumps in, "Well, I'll have some wallah. Looks tasty."

He and Theo shovel some on their plates, along with meat and cabbage.

Theo critiques, "Hmm, too greasy to eat alone, but good on the side. Would be good in the Winter."

Marcus adds, "Good anytime, as far as I'm concerned. You make some good slop, Boss."

"Glad you like it, Marcus, and 'slop' is right. Alina, what do you think?"

"Um?"

"Alina, I'm not looking for praise. Just be honest. You saw most of it being prepared and I didn't do anything weird after you left. Well, other than making it look messy."

"I'll stick with the meat, if you don't mind."

"No problem. More for us."

Was this my way to get out of cooking? Who knows?

Day 21

After a perfectly normal breakfast, I brought the guys to Vale for Rutina's next lesson. The others were already there but didn't bother to question where we came from — they probably assume that we live in town.

With the customary greetings out of the way, Brunhild reluctantly hands over a small bag of coins as Rutina announces, "You have done exactly as promised and helped me accomplish my goal. This money is to fulfill the obligation of our contract but you also have my heart-filled gratitude. If there is ever a way I can help you in the future, you have but to ask."

"Thank you so much, Lady Rutina. It's been a pleasure. But, you do wish to continue today, correct?"

"Oh yes, most definitely. I'm most anxious to see Nordselm's Labyrinth for myself and would very much appreciate your guidance."

"Good because it's worth visiting."

While they prepared to go, I turned away and subtly dumped the presumably-thirty gold coins into my Item Box, which I now used for little else than cash and valuables.

We accepted Rolf's party invitation and entered his portal to a tree near Nordselm's Labyrinth. This time, Rolf would come with us — he seemed to feel that it was safer inside than outside but framed it like it was just for the weather. Actually, it was a bit of a thermal shock to come here from Vale so we quickly scurried inside to the artificially-maintained climat of the labyrinth. OK, maybe the climat is magically- or even biologically-maintained since labyrinths are said to be alive, but the VR-look makes it feel more like sci-fi tech.

Oh, yeah, teaching. "The goats of the first floor will rush and attempt to head-butt. What's odd is that they'll run away when badly injured. Actually, it's strange that more monsters don't do this... Anyway, you can pursue them or just let them go. I'm not really sure if they'll come back later to gang up with other monsters so it's best not to let all of them run off."

I also showed how creating a firewall behind them would discourage the goats from running away. After a bit of goat herding, I had Theo take us near the boss room.

"The goat boss, called Pan, is humanoid-shaped and kind of creepy-looking. The worst part is that it casts a strong, magical attack that can hit the entire party. The safest option is to use a weapon with Chant Interruption or use a full party with Chant Delay weapons."

"Um, do the members of your vanguard have such weapons?"

"No, they do not."

"Then, I don't mean to question you, Teacher, isn't this too dangerous?"

"Yes, you should question me because it is too dangerous. Having a clear chain-of-command is important, but blind obedience is foolish. Outside of an emergency, a leader should allow questions and be prepared to explain unusual orders."

"So, this was just a test?"

"Yes and you did very well. I'm proud of you."

Brunhild looked like she could barely contain herself. I was tempted to pat Rutina's head just to tease her further.

"So, Student, instead of that suicide mission, let's take a short break. Would you like to meet the local villagers?"

"Yes, Teacher, I would. Though, I'm curious, why do you know them? Can you speak « Sp■r■■ »?"

"No, not more than a few words. Still, I feel it's good to know the people most directly affected by the condition of the labyrinth."

Donning my virtual mantle of holier-than-thou, we left the labyrinth and walked the short path to the village. A couple kids greeted me with the usual 'Dawit' but the adults seemed wary of the strangers in fancy armor. After I nodded in approval, a brave child approached Rutina and that damned idiot of a Knight stepped in between.

Even if a Knight out-ranks me, I couldn't hold back my irritation, "Back off, Brunhild! This innocent child was just being friendly."

"Don't tell me what to do, commoner. I will not allow some filthy beggar to touch Her Lady."

"No, you are a stranger to this village. Behave yourself or leave."

Rutina seemed a bit shocked by our little exchange, but she told Brunhild to back down. The child didn't come back and the other villagers kept a cautious distance. This little meet-and-greet was ruined by that damn, elitist Knight. Well, it's interesting to see that I'm not the only one Brunhild hates.

I tried to apologize to the villagers with hand signals and a sad look — should have had Alina teach me some more phrases. We walked back to the labyrinth in silence.

Chapter Text

Chapter 24: Trust

"Lady Rutina, I apologize for issuing commands to your guard outside of the labyrinth. I was simply shocked to see Brunhild threaten a small, helpless child. These honest, hard-working villagers have probably never even seen a noble so wouldn't understand proper etiquette. It was really my fault so I hope that the child can be spared harsh punishment."

"Lord Moreau, your apologies are harsher than most attacks."

Rutina really can be kind when she wants to be. The smile on my face probably looked a bit evil — well, looks aren't always deceptive.

"If you'll excuse me, My Lady." Brunhild walked off to the bushes to presumably do her business. People here do seem to have remarkably strong bladders. I've generally preferred to use the labyrinths to do my business since everything gets absorbed. Marcus and Theo do the same. Is that because they're guys or did they just copy my crude behavior? Somehow, this didn't seem like an appropriate topic of conversation with Rutina so I decided to ask Alina later. Hm, I think she used the labyrinth too.

Interrupting my deep thoughts, Brunhild returned from her pee-break so we could re-enter the labyrinth. Theo took us to the third floor to fight the rabbits, trees and goats. Thankfully, Rutina saw the rabbits as targets, not cuddly creatures.

Not completely convinced that Rutina could feel how these monsters were tougher than usual, but she didn't refute my claims. After a couple hours of this, it really felt that we'd been here long enough. Not sure if I should bring her back here for the last day or go to a different labyrinth. Regardless, everyone seemed happy to stop for today and I asked Theo to bring us back downstairs.

Brunhild stepped forward, "Please wait here a moment, My Lady. I'll make sure it's safe outside."

A bit unusual for Brunhild to actually sound polite. No, this is wrong. Brunhild just left Rutina alone with us... she left Rutina in the labyrinth with four guys. This is very wrong.

"Brunhild is taking too long. She should have returned immediately. Rolf, take Rutina to the next room. If we're not back in a few minutes, retreat further inside. Rutina, conserve your mana and heed Rolf's advice — he's an experienced Adventurer, after all."

"Yes, Teacher."

Once they're out of sight, "Guys, I'm going to take a quick look. If I'm not back in five minutes, come save my ass at the expense of anyone else. Kill anyone who appears to be a threat."

I opened a warp portal to the village. No villagers in sight so they probably noticed some trouble. Further ahead, I could see Brunhild standing with a group of five outlaws: a high-level Pirate and several mid-level Bandits. Brunhild doesn't appear to be hurt or restrained so maybe she's gone back to her old ways. Well, maybe she's just acting cool to trick them or has been tricked herself.

I don't see anyone else in the area so I warp back to the guys.

"Looks like an ambush. Brunhild may have switched sides so use caution. I'll warp out behind them and create a distraction. On the count of ten, walk out and strike down anyone who acts like an enemy. Guard the entrance and retreat if needed."

With a quick nod, I warp out to the spot I picked earlier. It looks like a Field Walker portal has just opened up on a tree 10 meters ahead. An adventurer just brought more bad guys. With Brunhild, there are now 12 potential opponents.

The first priority is to cut the supply line and escape route. I create a firewall about 10 meters in front of the labyrinth entrance and make their Adventurer go Poof with Equivalent Exchange. That should be enough of a distraction.

Anyone in or close to the firewall was caught completely by surprise. I jump out of cover and quickly strike down the nearest two bad guys. A third is polite enough to practically run into my sword in his attempt to flee. OK, at least four down.

A few of the higher-level (non-panicking) bad guys move towards me. With my Hero job, none of them would be a match one-on-one, but they don't seem quite that foolish. I mumble and open a portal against the tree just a meter away. One makes a brave attempt to intercept, but fails to see that I stepped away. He tried to correct his trajectory, but he too met my sword.

Now it's just three bad guys remaining on my side of the firewall. The Pirate, apparently named Simon, has animal ears, one of the Bandits, Heinz, is an elf, and the other Bandit, Bruno, is human — nice that they've embraced racial diversity in their villainy. It would be absolutely hilarious if this Bruno had gotten kicked out of Vale for supposedly making a secret deal with me.

Regardless of their backgrounds, I'm not feeling confident about taking all three at once. Noting the pause in action, Heinz tries to make an appeal, "Please, just wait a moment. We came here to offer you a deal. Let's all just calm down and talk this out."

"I'm not making any deals with Selmer's knights. I already know that Brunhild is working undercover."

While talking, I create another warp portal behind me, hopefully obscured by my body and by the fact that I didn't chant.

A bit confused, Heinz responds, "Do we look like Knights to you?"

Backing slowly, "Fine, then drop your weapons."

When the talkative guy turns to translate, I recklessly jump backwards into my warp portal leading to a spot just inside the labyrinth and land flat on my back. My party radar shows that Rolf and Rutina are still inside and alive so I step out to join Marcus and Theo. They're still guarding the entrance as ordered. Two enemies are down and Theo is fending off another while protecting the injured Marcus. Marcus is great against monsters, but he's a bit slow.

Not above cheap tricks, I call out, "Finally, the reinforcements are here." In the momentary distraction, I use Overwhelming to cut down the nearby thug. Theo stands guard so I can help Marcus. The wounds weren't too deep, but enough to limit his mobility. A few heal spells sufficed to stabilize him.

Party radar shows that Brunhild alive and in the direction of the village — I'll deal with her later. My firewall had already expired and the three remaining enemies I had avoided earlier look surprised to see me. This time, they started backing up.

Looking a bit worried, Heinz called out, "How the hell are you doing this? You were just supposed to be a Mage."

With all of us with swords at the ready, I fire off an invisible breeze-ball at Bruno. It was enough of a distraction for me to land a clean hit — not lethal but he's no longer an immediate threat.

That little speed burst has made the remaining villains focus on me. As I started to circle around, Marcus and Theo eliminate the distracted Heinz.

Simon is focused on me and careful to avoid getting surrounded. He wisely makes a move to flee but bumps into the breeze-wall I created a moment ago. As skilled as Simon may be, I manage to get a solid hit on his leg.

In defeat, he drops his weapon and says, « ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■ » before I make the final strike. It honestly wouldn't have mattered what he said since I certainly wouldn't let such a high-level criminal walk away.

Only the heavily injured Bruno remains... till Marcus casually finishes him off.

A quick count of the bodies and no extras seen with Identify suggests that we got them all.

"Let's plunder what we can before anyone else shows up. Gather the weapons and undamaged armor so I can store them in my inventory. They all have criminal jobs so make sure to take left hands before we toss them into the labyrinth."

"You seem quite experienced with this sort of thing, Boss."

"Yep, I hunted quite a few brigands back in Vale. That's why they were so desperate to find me."

The guys quietly continued to work on the collections till it was time to start feeding the labyrinth.

"I'll go get Brunhild now. Let's assume she's innocent for now... or at least pretend that she is."

I jogged off towards the village and quickly found her about 500 meters beyond it. Not sure if she simply forgot that she's still in our party or if she stayed in intentionally.

"Good to find you alive, Brunhild. Are you hurt?"

"They caught me when I walked out, but I managed to get away. Just now, I, I was trying to lead them away from Lady Rutina."

Didn't want to point out how polite the murderous fiends were to let her keep her sword and armor so I just smiled, "Well, it certainly worked, because we're all safe now."

Hard to imagine that she expected me to believe her story, but I doubt she cares anyway. We walked back to the guys who had finished with the main clean-up.

I quickly switched Theo back to Explorer and asked him to take us about half-way through the first floor. It didn't take much back-tracking to find the both of them with only minor injuries. Brunhild quickly rushed to Rutina's side and drew her sword in our direction.

"My Lady, thank goodness you're unhurt. Moreau betrayed us! When I went outside, I saw group of brigands waiting to ambush us. I managed to kill a few and scare off the rest. I patrolled the area to see if any others were hiding. After Moreau and his men came out, I hid to see what they would do. I heard them call out for their friends and curse that their plan had failed. When they went back inside, I silently followed. I am just so happy that I reached you in time."

Wow, that was a much better story than expected. It was probably prepared in advance since Brunhild really doesn't seem that clever. Of course, it suffers from the simple fact that we could have overwhelmed the lone Brunhild at literally any time. No, that flaw may in fact be a trap. Staging a bandit raid would look better than attacking directly. I might even try to collect ransom and 'rescue' Rutina later. Actually, that's... um, terrible.

Rutina didn't seem to immediately accept or reject Brunhild's story. Unfortunately, even if Rutina sides with me, it's still my word against a Knight... well, maybe Brunhild's old job should be restored to match her current actions.

"Lady Rutina, your guard, Brunhild, has provided false testimony and wrongfully accused me of a crime."

"No, Lord Moreau, you can't do this to me again. How could you possibly suggest that my Brunhild is disloyal?"

"I have no evidence to support such an accusation, Lady Rutina. I can only respond to Brunhild's claims against me."

"Are you demanding a duel?"

"No, Lady Rutina, I wouldn't want to unnecessarily inconvenience you. But, I would like to have this resolved quickly on neutral ground."

"Explain."

"I request that we go directly to Bode's Castle, Lady Rutina."

Going to Bode means exposure to more nobles but Brunhild can't be allowed to return to Selmer. No telling who else is involved and what they might do and then have it all blamed on me.

"No! My Lady, it's a trick. He's trying to prevent you from returning to the safety of home."

"Brunhild, are you suggesting that Lord Moreau set up another ambush at Bode's Castle? That's ridiculous."

"But, My Lady, I must insist that Moreau and his men be disarmed and left here. Now that he's been discovered, he'll attack at the first opportunity."

"Thank you for your concern, Brunhild, but I've made my decision. There will be no more discussion."

Again, Rutina shows herself to be a strong and wise leader by not immediately picking a side without evidence. I certainly hope she can inherit the title from her useless father. I could even imagine some degree of cooperation in the future... but never as a vassal, of course.

Rolf didn't say a word during the entire exchange. He's a taxi driver who knows not to get involved with his customer's internal squabbles. I doubt that he'd want to openly take my side, but there's little chance he can't see through Brunhild's feeble lies.

The status cards I'd collected popped out before we reached the exits so, as the current rear-guard, I subtly discarded the emptied hands behind me.

This time, we all exit the labyrinth together — all clear. Another ambush would've made Brunhild's position clear, but it would have been difficult to defend Rutina without exposing my special skills.

Rolf opened a portal to Bode's Castle and we all stepped through without incident.